Criss-Crossed
by InLoveWithDraco13
Summary: "Is that a threat?" she hissed, stepping even closer to him. He smelled of fresh parchment and smoke. His breath, minty and cold, was now falling in harsh rhythm across her throat. She gasped at the contact as he slammed her back against the wall. "Not a threat, Granger…a promise." My take on the HBP (UPDATE: Has trekked into DH territory) HG/DM. I own nothing.
1. Prologue- Summer

**Darlings,**

 **I present to you, a re-imagining of the Half-Blood Prince.**

 **With pleasure,**

 **M. x**

PART I: PROLOGUE

 _August_

She couldn't remember who had made eye contact first. Looking back now, it didn't matter. What had happened that day could not be un-done. And what was to follow would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. She wished only now, that she could go back, and never take that wrong turn down Knockturn Alley to begin with…or so she had thought that's what she had wanted, but fate had other plans in store.

See, Hermione Granger had been distracted that afternoon. Most certainly, out of sorts. She would be returning to Hogwarts in a week's time. The past year had been one of the most challenging in her short life, and she was hoping by Merlin, that their sixth year would be infinitely better than last. No Umbridge, no secret weapons or prophesies; No. More. Death.

Hermione sighed to herself; it was naïve and ridiculous to believe such things. They were on the verge of a war! Voldemort was growing stronger by the minute, and here she was, wandering down Diagon Alley with her head in the clouds. Her thoughts on Harry, and the mental torture and grief she knew consumed him since Sirius' death. Thoughts on Ron and…maybe, a possible step towards some semblance of a relationship? She doubted it, and was becoming less hopeful with each passing day. And she couldn't forget The Department of Mysteries of course! That nightmare had really been feeding her insomnia all summer.

If only she had been paying attention and NOT turned down Knockturn Alley. If only she had the sense to remove herself from her demanding thoughts and notice where her feet were taking her, if only….

Draco Malfoy had just finished threatening Borgin with a nasty snarl and a promise of his family's hospitality, when he felt a sense of tingling run down his spine. He knew without a doubt, that someone was watching him from out on the foggy streets. He was un-phased. It seemed most of his days consisted of such behavior. It was a stormy afternoon, and he was aware that trouble was brewing. A cold, cruel smirk graced his pale features as he reminded Borgin once again, who was in control. He turned, without looking up; knowing that whoever was watching him, had slunk out of view. But Draco was infamous for his instincts. He exited the shop, pausing momentarily to search his pockets as a ploy.

Hermione breathed deeply, clutching her hand to her heart. She had almost been caught spying on Malfoy! Of all people! She slowly inched forward, peeking her head out to see what had stopped him. He turned suddenly, his hand still holding the door of the shop open. Their eyes locked through dirty glass. Storm-ridden Silver met eyes of Amber and mayhem. She could not breathe. Slowly, he let the door swing shut, so they were uninhibited by the barrier.

Draco was sure he had never looked properly at her before. Maybe it was some sort of mirage, for in that moment, Granger looked…vulnerable and lost. He had never seen her this way; epically unaware of the dangerous path she had crossed into. His sinful lips turned up in a sardonic grin, and his cheek tingled slightly where she had slapped him all those years ago. He felt a slice of desire rip through him, against his will.

She gasped, completely horrified at being caught. Hermione turned on her heel and fled from sight, her footsteps echoing up the stone passage way. Draco spun on his expensive, leather boots and set off at a quick pace, his features darkening by the second. His thoughts centered on why the Gryffindor Princess was so far from her Ivory Tower, why she wandered onto his turf…He hated her yes, hated her beyond the deepest depths of the blackest souls, for his father said so…his father who was dying in Azkaban, because of Potter. Draco clenched his fists with fury. Yes, there was punishment to be dealt out, and he was sincerely seeking revenge.

But Granger, with her filthy blood and her innocent eyes, she made him angrier than the Dark Lord and his father and Potter put together. Still, there was something, something about her that made him believe in good. And for that, he despised her, loathed her, and abhorred her very existence. But then why the hell, after all of these years, could he not get her out of his brain?


	2. Chapter 1- Autumn

PART TWO:

 _September_

He had shared his thoughts with Zabini in private the following week on the Hogwarts Express. Only at the time, he hadn't realized his conversation had been anything but private. The trip back to Hogwarts had started off exactly as he had expected it to: mundane and dreadfully long. He took great pleasure in talking up his summer to Pansy and her slags, as well as to Zabini and Nott. His arrogant nature could not be subdued as he tantalized them with hints of his mission given to him by the Dark Lord. Not enough to blow his cover, but enough to keep them guessing and salivating for more.

Hermione truly had no idea how she had ended up under Harry's invisibility cloak, huddled on top of the luggage rack in the Slytherin Compartment. Truly, she hadn't planned it. It was only that, well, she and Ron had a massive fight after he had called her a boring know-it-all with no sense of adventure, and left to go sit with Dean and Seamus. Harry had wandered off in search of Ginny and she was pretty sure Neville and Luna were shagging in the next cart over, hidden behind some exotic plants Neville had brought back with him from his summer in Bangladesh.

Hermione had been utterly bored, and then she had seen Malfoy pass by and he had given her this look...and he _had_ been acting rather shifty and….well, one thing had led to another and now here she was; stuck and most definitely sporting a leg cramp. But it was all worth it, as she listened to Malfoy's devious plans. It sounded as if he were set on causing destruction this year. She was not surprised, but she would most certainly be the one to stop him.

It was hours later when the train finally pulled into Hogsmead Station. Hermione was positive her body had gone as numb as the Slytherins had gone quiet. _They certainly are a contemplative sort,_ she mused in her aching delirium.

The cart exited, but it was Malfoy who stayed behind, and he motioned for Blaise Zabini to do the same…Malfoy drew his wand, pulling the shades shut with a snap, he took a deep breath and turned back to Zabini. His eyes were hard chips of ice, his face set in stone.

"What is it, Draco?" Blaise drawled with mild disinterest. "Want to regale me with another story of your privilege and power?" Draco's glare hardened. Hermione carefully leaned over, not making a sound, as she tried getting a better view.

"It's her." He hissed, shutting his eyes against some unknown pain. She watched as Zabini's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Still?" He laughed, with cruel irony. "Hell, Draco, just shag her already. Get it out of your system. I've been saying this for _ages_."

"It's not that easy. Trust me, I wish it were." Hermione wanted to wretch with disgust. How vile they were.

"Look, you have more important things to focus on, if you are telling the truth. So why not concentrate on that? Just put this whole….infatuation, from your mind."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, what important things? Was he referring to the supposed mission Malfoy had been bragging about? There was silence, and then Malfoy suddenly swung his fist up, smashing it through the window of the cart. Hermione's gasp was covered by the sound of shattering glass. Zabini was smirking.

"Feel better?" He clapped Malfoy on the back, who looked hardly aware that blood was now pouring down his fingers and wrapping around his wrist. "Trust me, it's best just to forget about her." He paused for a moment to study his friend, who really didn't like the sound of his advice. "But man, if I were you, I'd do it just to see your father's reaction… imagine what it would do to him-?" Blaise cut himself off with a gusty laugh.

"Enough." Draco's voice was deadly, but calm. With one last hard look at Zabini, he slammed the compartment door open and strode out of sight.

Hermione closed her eyes, hoping to Merlin that Blaise would not be able to hear the beating of her frantic heart. She felt horribly sorry for the poor woman they were discussing. She watched Blaise as he tsked to himself, before picking up his briefcase and coat. She was so close to freedom, she held her breath as he paused right inside the door. He turned suddenly, shifting his face to profile, with a grin that could put the Cheshire cat to shame.

"My, my, what have you done to the man, Granger?" He crooned softly, before taking his leave.

 _October_

She avoided him like a plague for the next several weeks. It seemed as if he had decided to do the same, but there were still moments. As much as she tried not to cross his path, he continued to pop up in her peripheral. Only long enough for a torrid glance, or an accidental caress. She was highly aware of these events, and chose to bury them deep within her subconscious. He was an utterly, obnoxious fool.

Harry and Ron were both so immersed in their personal lives, that Hermione found herself with too much downtime on her hands. She had caught up on homework assignments for the next four months, she had knitted hats for Dobby until her fingers had bled; she had tried everything, _everything_ , to erase Draco Malfoy from her mind. But it was impossible. If she had nightmares, he was in them, torturing her to insanity. If she had dreams, he would make an appearance, setting her flesh on fire with his wicked tongue. His words that night on the train, the hunger and shame in his voice…it made her head spin. It made her furious, and embarrassed and…

Why couldn't she collect her thoughts? Someone was calling her name. Oh yes, she was in class.

Draco smirked, as he watched Snape lean over Granger's desk and flick her on the nose. She jumped, clearly off in some erotic daydream about stealing books from the restricted section. He chuckled at his own joke. Snape turned his head towards Draco.

"You find something amusing, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Just Granger's face." Snape smirked indulgently, turning back to his desk. Hermione raised her hand in the air. His arrogance fueled her, as she thought they might have risen above the pettiness this year, but apparently she was wrong.

"Professor, Malfoy has been stealing Polyjuice Potion ingredients from your private stores. I saw him two nights ago, while I was patrolling." Her voice rang clear, as the class shot to attention. How he fired her up.

"Stalking me again, Granger?" He hissed, his eyes falling on hers with malevolence. She blushed as she thought back to that afternoon in Knockturn Alley.

"Again?" Was Ron's harsh reply in her ear. "What does he mean _again_ , Hermione?" She shushed him. Draco snapped his fingers at Ron to get his attention.

"Hey Weasel, wouldn't you like to know?" He grinned suggestively, before rolling his eyes and turning back to face the front; his smirk sitting proud on his much too handsome of face. Snape retraced his steps to the front of Hermione's desk, with an ugly grimace in place.

"And why, Ms. Granger, are you _just_ reporting this incident of theft now?" He drawled, closing in on her like an oversized bat.

"Well, " She began, taking a deep breath. There was a reason she was in Gryffindor. "Because, for once, I was willing to let the rules slide." She said it as though she were making a grave confession. Draco grinned despite himself. "I was _trying_ to be understanding and compassionate. Because, Malfoy, over here, has had a rough year, you know with his father being a Death Eater and all." There was a collective gasp, as Malfoy slammed his hands down on his desk, rising to his feet in a complete fury.

"Shut your mouth about my father, Granger." He hissed, his teeth pulled back in a snarl. He whipped his wand out, pointing it directly at her heart. Hermione rose to her feet with disbelief etched across her features.

"You still defend him? After everything he's done?" She gasped with outrage, pulling her wand, but not pointing it at him, not yet. "Especially to you?" She murmured, and she saw pain slice through his eyes, he quickly covered it with blind fury. Raising his wand, he sent a hex barreling towards her, but his heart wasn't in it. She deflected it with a simple flick of her wrist. It infuriated him to the point where she couldn't help but indulgently smile. She was right, his father was scum and he knew it.

"Enough." Snape's voice was deathly quiet, but held the aftermath of an atomic bomb. "Detention, both of you. 9pm." Snape swept from the room like a cloak of blackness, slamming his office door. The class broke into frantic whispers as they hurried from the dungeons, throwing furtive looks back at the Golden Trio as well as Malfoy and Zabini.

"What the fuck are you staring at, Weasel? Never seen proper wealth before?" Draco sneered, his face contorting with disgust at his arm slung around Hermione.

"Don't look at her. Don't talk to her. Don't go anywhere near her." Ron snarled, trying to pull Hermione up against him. Oh, _now_ he wanted to give her some attention? She sidestepped him in annoyance.

"We hear you give her any trouble. And you'll be answering to us." Harry growled, unsheathing his wand as he stepped in front of Hermione, who couldn't help but roll her eyes at his dramatic antics.

Blaise and Malfoy looked at one another and then burst into laughter.

"Yeah, Potter." Blaise's grin was a mile wide. "Trust me, he's much more afraid of dangerous Granger, than either of you. "

That wiped the smirk off of Draco's face in an instant. He shoved Zabini back, before throwing a nasty glare at Harry.

"You'll pay for what you did to my father, Potter." He hissed, taking a step forward.

"As long as it's me who pays, then I'm looking forward to it." Was Harry's slick reply, as he warned Malfoy with his eyes, that this battle was between them; and to leave Hermione out of it. Hermione felt dazed by it all. Normally, she would be reproaching their barbaric acts of macho-ism, but she just couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Draco Malfoy harbored some sort of self-loathing lust for her. It was strange; she couldn't come to grips with the fact that he wanted her. And as much as she didn't enjoy using the word hate….yes, he came mighty close to that line on more than one occasion. She had hoped his father's imprisonment would enlighten him, not disillusion him further.

She was still trying to figure out if he was up to something wicked, or if he had been just emptily boasting about his connection to the Dark Lord. His heated eyes called her back to the present.

"See you in detention, ferret." She replied nonchalantly, showing him how little she cared for his irritating obsession of being the center of attention. Though her heart was skipping a furious tune; she picked up her bag and swaggered from the room, her hips swinging, and her white blouse fitted nicely to her blossoming figure; her bare legs, soft and shapely. Ron, Harry and Blaise all watched her leave as Malfoy forced his eyes to glue themselves to the ceiling. He hated the lust she provoked in him. Even more so, he _despised_ the lust she provoked in others. When the sound of her footsteps disappeared, he felt it safe to look around. And the first thing his gaze landed on, was the cloak she had left behind.

"She is a beautiful woman, if I do say so myself." Zabini purred, also gathering his things. He picked up Hermione's cloak. "I do hate to waste time, mates." He winked and took off. With several more hard glares and silent threats, Harry and Ron headed to dinner, while Draco slunk off to the Room of Requirement, wishing he had been the one to snatch her cloak, and hating himself for even thinking it.

For punishment, Snape had sent them out to the lake, with orders to feed the Giant Squid. Hermione was pleasantly surprised. Draco would have rather gone running naked through an army of Blast Ended Skrewts. It was an utterly romantic night, the moon hanging full and a soft breeze ruffling the tops of the Forbidden Forest. They stood, a few feet apart, though it felt like miles to Hermione. They continually reached down into a giant bucket of guts and tossed them into the lake for the squid to feed on. It was silent at least, and for that, Draco was thankful.

The first few weeks back, he had found no sleep or peace, which would have been fine, if he had also been feeling fulfillment. But he wasn't. Not even close. Not only was he exhausted from trying to fix the vanishing cabinet, but also keeping up with his schoolwork seemed near impossible. His efforts for Voldemort's cause were still in the beginning stages, so he didn't like that he already felt this desperate, this out of control. After all, as his mother said, he should be concentrating on his studies. And as if she had read his mind, the pest at his side spoke.

"I noticed, you're just two points behind me in Potions." She commented randomly. Draco jerked from the depths of his mind, as he watched a tentacle shoot out of the water and grab the piece of meat Granger had flung.

"Meaning?" He spat, annoyed at her intrusion into his solitude.

" _Meaning,_ " She emphasized, with only the slightest air of snootiness, "Well done."

"Thank you so much, _Professor_." Draco drawled, with an impressive amount of sarcasm. She rolled her eyes, but tinkling laughter sung from her throat. He frowned at her odd display of enjoyment. He could never remember a time that she had _ever_ made that sound, because of something he had said. He felt a sharp pang in his heart, is this what it felt like to be a villain?

She turned to him in that moment, and he couldn't help himself from getting lost in her eyes. He wasn't sure he had ever been this close to her before, without getting slapped or cursed. She seemed much more relaxed without those two fuckwits hanging at her side. She was pure and good and…beautiful. Why would he ever want to hurt a being as intelligent and fierce as this girl? What was wrong with him? He shook his head, breaking away from her gaze. She was making him sick. She was going to destroy his life. His father…Lucius had lost everything and now he, Draco, must succeed. Otherwise, Voldemort would kill him.

He sent an owl to Borgin the very next day.


	3. Chapter 2- Winter

PART THREE:

 _November_

Katie Bell had been cursed two weeks ago, and Hermione was still feeling completely distraught. She had been transferred to St. Mungo's, where she was hovering somewhere between life and death. Harry was brooding in his room, lost in the spells of some supposed Half Blood Prince, and Ron (who she was still not speaking to) was equally lost in Lavender's bed. The two had gone rogue on her and she was feeling especially slighted. After all, it was nearing the Holiday season.

So one snowy Saturday afternoon, she had decided to wander down to the kitchens to say hello to Dobby and Winky. Three hours later, after several platters of sweets and three quarters of a bottle of Ogden's finest, Hermione bowed to a hiccupping Winky and a slurring Dobby, promising them new hats for Christmas. She stumbled as she took her leave. The fire of the whiskey had unburdened her brain. She laughed, as she reminded herself house elves were the best sort drinking company; she was as much of a lightweight as them.

Hermione was feeling light and carefree. And suddenly, quite out of nowhere, her thoughts shifted to silver eyes and platinum hair, a strong jaw and high cheekbones. She was just so _curious_. A man had never _openly_ wanted her before, even if it was, just for carnal pleasure. Well, besides Viktor…and that one ridiculous night of strip Trivial Pursuit with Terry Boot. As much as she hated to admit it, Zabini's words to Draco had done something damaging to her brain.

She smiled dreamily in her drunken state, deciding to waltz back to Gryffindor Tower with an imaginary partner who resembled Malfoy, but had the charm of Gilderoy Lockhart. Sir Cadogen followed her up the stairs, through painting after painting, wailing what she was sure, was Puccini. She hummed to herself, allowing her mind to drift. As the Knight became distracted with a new installation of Venetian courtesans placed at the top of the stairs, Hermione waltzed left and wandered down the corridor alone.

She looked up in surprise. The Room of Requirement! She giggled to herself, remembering all the times she had knocked Ron on his arse during DA meetings. She leaned back against the wall, trying to compose herself, as she snorted with drunken laughter.

Malfoy had been in there for hours, and the last thing he had expected was to leave the Come and Go Room and have Hermione Bloody Granger fall straight into his hands.

But somehow, she managed. He caught her, as he flung the door open and she fell back into him. She screamed shrilly and he slapped his hand over her mouth, pulling her against his chest to break their fall. The door closed just in time, as his back smacked into the hard stone. Without taking a pause, Malfoy swung them both across the corridor and through a tapestry, which led to a hidden staircase.

It was only then, that Draco registered how soft Granger's lips felt against his coarse palm. And she bit him. He hissed in pain as he wretched his hand away, before slamming her into the wall with fury. Her body was pressed intimately against him and she gasped at the friction. He brought his hand up to her throat.

She glared defiantly back at him. As if the coward had the guts to strangle her to death, _at school_.

"If you kill me, you'll be expelled." She announced quite properly. He released his relatively lose grip on her glorious neck, before moving his astonished gaze into the dim candlelight.

"That's what you think I should be worried about?" He asked, completely thrown by her priorities. She nodded vigorously in return.

"Of course, imagine what would happen to you without guidance, without your exam results and Dumbledore sending out recommendations-" She let her words hang in the air. A worried anguish had fallen into his eyes as she said the Headmaster's name; she had never seen that look from him before. It made her infinitely curious. Draco snapped his gaze away from hers, he let his body fall back against the opposite wall. It was still a tight squeeze. Hermione vaguely noticed that their knees were rubbing together. It was inconsequential compared to how close his face was to hers.

"What were you doing in the Room of Requirement?" She demanded suddenly, attempting a stab at covering up the tension of their locked eyes.

"What?" He snapped, his eyes penetrating her hard, looking for something. He was distracted.

"You heard me. What are you up to?" She hissed.

"It's none of your fucking business." He closed his eyes, breathing heavily. He sounded more annoyed and tired than actually angry.

"It _is_ my f'ing business. I can see something is happening to you!" She spit out with a slight slur, poking him in, she now noticed, his much too tone chest. Even though she was buzzed, Hermione Granger knew a lost soul when she saw one. And her big mouth was going to get her in trouble tonight. "You barely come to meals, you look as if you haven't had a proper night's sleep since the Summer holidays, I _know_ you've been skipping classes and not showing up to Quidditch practice-"

He was suddenly so close to her face, that Hermione was overcome with the intensity of his presence. His fingers grabbed greedily at her waist, she didn't try to back away from him.

"What, are you my mother, Granger?" She remained stubbornly silent, staring at him as if he were a challenging Ruins translation.

"Did you curse that necklace?" She narrowed her eyes, waiting to pounce on his reaction. Her question infuriated him. Why the bloody hell was she so smart?

"You should learn to keep your nosey arse out of other people's lives, or you will go the same way Potter is headed." He sneered viciously.

"Is that a threat?" She hissed, stepping even closer against him. He smelled of fresh parchment and smoke. His breath, minty and cold, was now falling in harsh rhythm against her throat. He wanted to taste her so badly. This witch was fearless and powerful and he was sure, a little drunk.

Draco felt his blood ignite. She was intoxicating. His lips descended to the delicate flesh beneath her ear. She gasped at the contact, as he slammed her back against the wall. His hot breath fell against her mouth in waves.

"Not a threat, Granger…a promise." And then his lips were on hers and he was kissing her madly, as if the end of the world were upon them. She fought him every inch of the way. Every second he stole from her, every ounce of passion that he coaxed from her lips, she hated him more. Hermione melted into her enemy as her mind swore vengeance against the liberties she was allowing to be taken. She could not get enough. He was tearing away all the horror, all the boredom, all the worries from her mind. But if he were guilty, she would destroy him in the end.

Draco was lost in the most beautiful moment of his life. The one thing he could not buy, the one person he could not subdue. Her fire gave him purpose. Her meaningful existence made him question his own. Of course he hadn't tried to kill Bell, he could give a fuck about her. It was Dumbledore he needed gone, but dammit, how could he kill the old man? His efforts so far had been sloppy, and uncreative. Dumbledore had been nothing but kind and understanding to Draco, for all these years. Had shown him more compassion than both of his parents combined.

But none of that mattered as Granger's sweet lips sought dominance against his own. And just when he was beginning to relax into her mind numbing bliss, she slapped him; so hard in fact, that he was sure he'd gone deaf in his left ear. She pulled back, glaring at him, panting heavily. He stared back at her, willing her to face his desire.

"You. Are. Despicable." She breathed with venom. But Draco could see that he had shaken her composure, dug into her untapped passion. The beast inside him purred with pleasure.

"So I've been told." He rubbed the side of his face in wonder. "Are the rumors true? Or are you just prude when it comes to ugly shitheads like Weasley?"

For a moment, he was sure she was going to slap him again. But instead, she quirked an eyebrow and gave him a slight smirk.

"You'll never find out." She replied in a scathing tone.

"Now that's a threat if I've ever heard one." He actually had the audacity to wink at her. He was breathing heavily and his perfect skin was flushed. He would have been devilishly handsome in that moment, if he weren't such a rotten toad.

"Stay out of trouble, Malfoy. And get some sleep, you look like hell." And then she was gone.

Draco stayed awake for days just thinking about the feel of his skin against hers. He craved her, obsessed over her, in the unhealthiest of ways. She had burrowed herself into his conscience, and was quickly unraveling all of his plans. She was a distraction, one that needed to be eliminated. But how?

 _December_

Hermione brooded for the rest of the month. Ron and her were still not on speaking terms, and Harry had become so moody over Ginny's newest love conquest, that she had actually told him to stay out of her way until he confessed his feelings to Ginny directly.

It was horrid, she had no one to talk to regarding her situation with the snake of Slytherin. She hadn't seen him once following their torrid, insane, wildly inappropriate meeting in the corridor on the 7th floor. Hermione had avoided going that way on purpose, though she still couldn't block out the forbidden and heart-pounding memories of the way Draco Malfoy's lips felt on her skin. It was the most awful thing she had done in her entire life, she was sure.

It felt as if she had betrayed everything she believed in, why had she allowed herself to get caught up in his dangerous smolder, his dark power? She bit her lip, trying to force pain into her body, to shove her mind back to reality and face what she had done. She had kissed him, and she had liked it. As much as she should have been concentrating on her studies, she spent the rest of Friday evening in the restricted section, trying to figure out Malfoy's game.

He wanted revenge, for his father, that much she knew. She also knew he blamed Harry for his situation when he should, in fact, be blaming Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hermione understood the bonds of family, she also understood that Malfoy had been brainwashed and hardened into a hateful person for years and years. He knew very little compassion, if any. And he hated her, _on principle_ , which seemed to be the silver lining, the reason for his confusion when it came to wanting to kiss and kill her simultaneously. But still, she honestly didn't believe he had it in him to be a killer. Although, she had seen that necklace at Borgin and Burkes, the same day she had seen him in there. That fateful stumble into Knockturn Alley…

She had tried to appeal directly to Professor Dumbledore about her concerns, but she was informed he would be away until after the Holidays. Professor McGonagall had frowned at her accusations and assured her, she was incorrect. Draco Malfoy had been in detention that day. Hermione wasn't so sure, there was something in her guts tingling. As much as she dreaded involving herself anymore with the ferret, she knew she wasn't going to be able to stop following him, keeping tabs on him, until she figured out what it was he was planning on doing.

Malfoy knew he shouldn't be up here. But he couldn't stop himself. He needed to see her. He had locked himself in the Come and Go Room and had worked relentlessly on fixing the cabinet for most of the week leading up to the Holiday recess. He had finally had a breakthrough, it was possible he might not even need the back up plan now…but it would be so much easier, to do it undetected, to not have to face the old man as he died.

Draco cringed, bringing the whiskey bottle up to his lips once more. He had lost track of the days, his mind consumed by his project. It was the only thing that allowed him to block out the memory of his mother's screams as they took his father away to Azkaban…and that had been when Voldemort moved in. But his horrors still persisted, in other forms. To be exact, the form of Hermione Granger, who had burrowed her scent and taste under his skin; he broke out in goose bumps every time he just pictured her lips, her eyes. It drove him to the brink of madness, and so to forget her, to destroy her, he drank.

Hours passed as he sat contemplating his existence, if any of this would be worth it in the end. In his drunken stupor, he finally managed to stop and think about what the world would be like when The Dark Lord was in power. What would happen to him? What would happen once all of the good was destroyed? Why had he never considered what that meant in the long-term sense? And Granger, bloody hell, it had been so much easier to hate her before he had touched her. Now, now that he had tasted how sweet she was, how passionate, how untainted by darkness, he couldn't forget it. He had never felt that way when he had been with Pansy or Daphne or anyone. Why was it again, that he supposedly hated her? Ah yes, because she was a know-it-all, but how could he hold being intelligent, against her? It was a trait he admired in a witch. But she wasn't a witch. She was a Mudblood; beautiful, brave and more desirable than all else.

His palms twitched as he thought back to how often he would envision her as he came. And how he would punish himself after for his filthy thoughts. But now, now that he had touched her, and realized just how much of a woman she was, his childish fantasies were thrown into full fruition.

Fuck her blood, he wanted her.

He brought himself back to the present, and took a deep breath. No, he most certainly should not be here. He clenched the bottle of Matured Oak Mead tightly in his grasp, as he pushed open the door to Slughorn's office.

The Slug Club Christmas party was in full swing. Though Hermione had spent most of the evening so far, dodging her ridiculously pompous and hands-y date, Cormack McLaggen.

Truly, she had planned to go solo, but when she had caught Ron and Lavender making out in the entrance hall, a vindictive voice in Hermione's head had goaded her on. She turned to the first, attractive male and had announced her need of a date for the exclusive Slug Club Party. She knew it would infuriate Ron and she was not disappointed. She was still extremely hurt by how he had treated her this year, not taking exception to her feelings or the possibility that something might exist between them, in the slightest. Instead, he had jumped into bed with the biggest slag of them all. Hermione was mostly over it, though. She had much more important things to be focusing on.

And speaking of focus, she caught her breath in her throat as she spied a flash of platinum hair that could belong to no one but the devil, who was constantly haunting her dreams. Hermione turned quickly, trying to see above the crowd of partygoers. It was near impossible, between the smoke and dim lighting, she lost track of him.

"There you are, my slippery little sex kitten!" She jumped, as McLaggen's voice boomed in her ear. She spun around, only to have him wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him. "How about a Christmas kiss?" He slurred, with a considerable amount of swagger. His breath smelled like troll's feet and she pushed away from him, trying as politely as she could to remove his hold on her.

"Ahem, um, I was actually about to powder my nose…" Hermione invented wildly, looking around for a means of escape.

"I'll give you something better than powder for that pretty face." He breathed, reaching down to grab her chin in his hand, pulling her mouth towards his.

"I really rather not-" She insisted, using her palm to push his head away from her. He continued to try and advance, it was quite the comical scene for onlookers. "Listen, Cormack-" But at that moment, McLaggen loosened his hold, his eyes rolling back in his head and he passed out, falling to the floor at her feet. Hermione looked around in shock, she had been close enough to him to feel the nonverbal spell that had rendered him unconscious and would leave him with a killer headache in the morning.

Hermione searched the crowd in wonder, as Neville and another waiter, none to carefully, dragged Cormack out of the way. She saw Harry, trying to chat up Ginny near the bar, and Zabini lurking near a pair of Veela twins.

And then she felt him. Her gaze locked on a pair of hypnotic, silver eyes from across the room. He was leaning casually against a pillar, a drink in his hand as he watched her with an amused smirk. She felt something foreign seep through her soul in that moment, it startled her greatly. She nodded her head to him and smiled her thanks. How did he get in here? She wondered, was he invited? Slughorn was not particularly fond of Malfoy, especially as of late, when he didn't even bother to show up for class.

Hermione continued to watch him. Any and all traces of amusement slowly slid off his face, and he stared at her relentlessly, as if trying to see into her mind. Hermione returned his stare, refusing to back down. It was hot, and filled with dark promise. And then, he was moving. Steadily but slowly towards her, as he side stepped people and slid through the crowd, never taking his eyes off of her. Hermione felt a thrill of foreboding creep up her spine. She couldn't just stand there, she'd meet him half way, and besides the tension of waiting for him to reach her was too much to bear. She followed his weaving pattern, making her way slowly towards a forbidden fate.

As she stepped around Severus Snape, he stepped past Sanguini the Vampire, and they were suddenly, placed in a highly erotic position. Draco's front was pressed flush against her back; he leaned down slowly, his hands sliding over her curves and down her sides, as he whispered in her ear. His fingers felt like burning ice on the bare skin of her lower back. She nodded once, and then he continued on, pushing himself past several guests and disappearing into the crowd.

Hermione quickly grabbed a glass of firewhiskey and exited the party as discreetly as she could, making her way down the long corridor to the last classroom on the left. She had just closed the door and taken a rather large swig of her drink, when she heard his footsteps, echoing softly. She breathed deeply, her heart going into overdrive.

What did he want with her? What did she want from him? She closed her eyes, willing these sickening thoughts from her head. She had no clue as to why she was even entertaining this ridiculous fantasy. Nothing good could come from it. Nothing at all. When had she become so self-destructive? Was it when she had seen Sirius die? Was it her inability to believe that she might have a future? That she might die fighting this inevitable war? But how, how could she possibly be this stupid? Why was her heart ignoring her brain? It never did that. Never.

"Draco!" She heard a loud hiss from the opposite side of the door. The footsteps stopped, as another pair came striding closer. Hermione pulled herself up against the side of the wall, right next to the door, as two shadows came into view.

"What are you doing here, Draco?" It was Snape, and he sounded furious.

"Came for the party." His reply was full of disdain. "Not that it's any of your business." Snape grabbed Malfoy by the shirt and slammed him into the door as Hermione slapped her hand over her mouth to cover her gasp.

"Not my business? You fool. You steal from me, lie to me…if you were any other student….this is the _last_ time I will let it go, you wandering the corridors…" There was a long pause, they were both breathing roughly. "Now, tell me what you are planning and I can help you-"

"I don't need your help." Malfoy growled, as he threw Snape off of him. She could see their shadows shifting.

"You do not realize how in over your head you are. You have not a _clue_ what your actions will do." Snape spat under his breath.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child. I've seen things, I've done things that you wouldn't ever be able to face, coward!"

Hermione could not believe he was speaking to a teacher this way. There was silence, she was sure Snape was going to hex him. She was therefore surprised by how quickly his tone changed.

"I made an unbreakable vow, to protect you, Draco, your mother would not want this for you-" Hermione's eyes widened in curiosity, what the hell could Malfoy be involved in that would make Snape go to such an extreme?

"It doesn't matter what she wants, my father is rotting in Azkaban!" Draco's voice broke with his barely restrained fury. " _I'm_ in charge now, _I'm_ the one who has to make this right." He sounded broken in some way, and it made Hermione's heart ache just the slightest.

"Is there nothing I can do? To make you change your mind?" Snape's voice was low. Hermione strained closer to the door, listening hard.

"Nothing." Draco spat, before turning on his heel and stalking away down the dark corridor. Hermione listened to his retreating footsteps until all was silent. She had almost forgotten that Snape was still standing directly on the other side of the door. He sighed deeply, and Hermione jumped with fright. He started to walk away...

"You might be his only hope Miss Granger. Don't muck it up." Her mouth fell open uncomprehendingly, as she slid down the wall slowly, her mind running on a million miles of chaos. Draco Malfoy was in serious trouble.

 _February_

Hermione was sick to her stomach, and absolutely furious. Ron lay in the hospital bed unconscious, as she and Harry sat at his side. Harry was floored by Ron's poisoning, could not believe that something like this had slid right under his nose. He kept asking her over and over, who could have done such a thing? Hermione, for once, kept her thoughts to herself. She knew exactly who had done it. And she was going to get a pound of his flesh for the stress he had just put them through.

Everyone had been in agreement that the Mead had not been meant for Ron. Whoever had done it, was careless and inexperienced. Malfoy's face popped into her head. Whoever had done it, was more dangerous than an expert killer, because they clearly didn't care how many people got hurt along the way. Once again, Hermione's thoughts landed on him. Dammit, they were going to be late for Potions.

Draco Malfoy was desperate. He had managed almost no sleep in the last week. And damn it all to hell, he had been so close to success. But then, of course, it had to be bloody Weasley who drank the mead. Not that he cared if the Weasel died, it would be one less person salivating over Granger.

Draco was falling faster and faster into panic, he was running out of time. He had received an anonymous warning by owl late last night. It stated, that if the two tasks he had been assigned, were not completed in three months time, then his mother would be handed over into the care of Fenir Greyback. Draco had redoubled his efforts of mending the cabinet, but if the canary corpses were anything to go by, he was nothing short of failure. Just as his father had always reminded him: he was weak.

Draco looked at his face in the mirror, he had lost ten pounds since the beginning of term, and along with it, any small amount of courage that he might of possessed. He splashed some water on his face, before grabbing his bag and heading out of the Slytherin dorm.

The only class that he forced himself to attend was Potions. But that was only to keep Snape off of his back, who seemed to follow him everywhere he went. He selfishly wished it was Granger who kept popping up, but she was steadily ignoring him since the night at Slughorn's party. He was still so furious at himself for forgetting she was right behind that classroom door, hiding there, as he broke down to the Potions Master. He had planned on taking her several times in that delectable dress, until Severus had brought reality crashing back to him.

His dark thoughts consumed him as he stormed his way through the dungeon corridors.

The minute he walked in, he locked gazes with her and he could see that she was bubbling with fury. Her eyes were rimmed red though, as if she had been crying for hours on end. He wondered briefly, if it was over him. He scoffed to himself, surely she was upset about the Weasel being poisoned. The thought of her caring about what happened to that pathetic simpleton had his blood boiling in no time. He snarled at her, as he made his way to his seat. But she just continued to stare at him with open disgust. He wanted to grab her by her ridiculous mop of hair and kiss her until she forgot he was evil.

Snape clearing his throat and stalking into the room, turned their attention away from the rigorous staring battle. He set the instructions on the board and went to sit behind his desk to glare at them as they worked. The station between Granger and Potter was empty. Draco imagined himself slipping into the seat next to her, and running his fingers up those bare thighs of hers. He was so lost in his explicit fantasy, that he was hardly aware she had raised her hand and was now staring patiently at the Professor.

Snape ignored her.

"Professor Snape." She called out in a fierce sort of tone. He raised a surprised eyebrow, inspecting her with caution. "Sir, I know who poisoned Ron." Snape's look of wariness turned to one of full out shock at her bold statement, his eyebrow extending even further up his head. A few whispers broke out from the back of the room.

"Miss Granger, I hardly believe this is the appropriate time for such a discussion-" He began slowly.

"It was Malfoy." She interrupted loudly.

The class gasped with collective shock.

"And your evidence?" Came Snape's completely bored drawl. Hermione looked quickly over at Harry, whose jaw was hanging open dumbly.

"I just know." She finished, attempting to send Severus a signal. She glared at him intensely, trying to will him to read her mind.

"You just….know." Snape looked at her distastefully.

Malfoy began to laugh with cold derision.

"Hoping to get me locked in Azkaban?" He retorted, with a deadly hiss.

"If that's what it takes to get you to abandon whatever nefarious plans you're concocting , then yes." She raged back, feeling her temper snap. "You selfish, spoiled, _vile_ excuse for a wizard!"

Her words slapped the arrogance right off his handsome, though wasting face.

"Detention Miss Granger! And 50 points from Gryffindor for interrupting my class with your nonsense."

"Learn your place Granger, it's beneath me." Malfoy taunted, his eyes alight with wicked pleasure. Something in his tone reminded Snape of past words he had once said to… _her_. His gaze landed on Potter, who stared back at him with those hateful green, green eyes.

"Mr. Malfoy. You'll join Miss Granger in detention until you can learn to keep your mouth shut." His furious gaze, lessened slightly, only to be replaced by a sadistic sort of grin. "Happy Valentines Day."

Hermione bowed her head, looking contrite, as Malfoy roughly packed his things back up and stormed out. Not before hissing several nasty threats in her direction. As soon as the door slammed shut, she looked up to meet the Professor's stern gaze.

 _Very subtle, Miss. Granger._ She heard his voice reverberate mockingly inside of her head. She gave him a small nod. She only needed one night with Malfoy. She would get him to break. _Don't be too hard on him, Miss Granger, you are, after all, infinitely more mature and well adjusted than him._

The rest of the castle spent the evening of Saint Valentine's snogging in deserted corridors and overdosing on sweets. Hermione arrived promptly at 9:30pm outside the entrance of Greenhouse 7. Snape had assured her he would assign them to a place where she and Draco would be not be disturbed or overheard. Between Blaise and Snape's actions, Hermione was beginning to suspect that she might be playing a larger role in Draco's life than she had previously expected.

"Wanted to get me alone?" Came his voice out of the darkness. He joined her at the entrance, sizing her up.

"Actually, yes." She quipped, not bothering to gaze at his cocky smirk, as she pushed the door open and strolled into the thick, hot air of the greenhouse. Despite it being February, Professor Sprout's humidity and heat retaining spells were perfection.

He had to admit, she was determined. If she had purposely landed them in detention just so she could have a little interrogation session, then Malfoy was deeply impressed. He followed her in, his mind filled with wicked intentions and slow, sweaty seductions.

 _Was she going to try to kill him? Put him out of his long awaited misery?_ He only hoped she had enough sympathy to let him bang her brains out before she did him in. Now that, he mused, would be the way to go.

Hermione turned to face him, trying to keep her body relaxed and her expression calm. Inside, she was a chaotic monsoon, her mind a churning and raging storm. She took a deep breath, as he eyed her warily from the doorframe.

"Why did you poison that mead?" She asked quietly.

"This again? Granger, I'm innocent." He threw up his hands and rolled his eyes in annoyance. But the strain on his face was evident. It was clear he was in no mood to put on a show, but Merlin, she saw he was going to try regardless.

"Ha! You? Please, Malfoy, don't insult my intelligence." She scoffed, tapping her foot in annoyance.

"Shouldn't be too difficult of a task." He drawled, swaggering closer to her.

"Who was it meant for?" He ignored her, choosing instead, to examine several sleeping Mandrakes, his face cold and impassive. "Why are you doing this? Malfoy, look at me!" She shouted, a sudden fury coming into her eyes. His gaze narrowed, as he advanced on her…only a couple steps more and he would have her in his grasp.

"Did Snape put you up to this?" His dark, low voice was like a forbidden caress. Hermione shuddered against the sudden feeling of irrational desire.

"Let me give you some advice, Granger." His heated stare was consuming her with a rush of molten hot lust. "I suggest, you stop playing detective and run back along to The Savior and his gang of imbeciles." He chided softly.

"Why?" She challenged, lifting her chin up a notch to stare into his eyes. "Afraid that I might have you figured out?"

He laughed without an ounce of humor. Dread filled her at the unnatural sound. He reached out suddenly, grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her flush against him.

"Granger, Granger, Granger, You bloody menace." He looked down at her with a smugness she tried not to find attractive.

"I'm not afraid of you." She whispered. He smirked back at her, though she swore she might have seen a wink of genuine emotion in his eyes.

"I know." He breathed, suddenly completely serious.

They stared at one another for a long moment of silence. Oh, how Hermione was awful at silence. She groped around her brain for all the questions she had prepared to smack him with. But the look in his eyes had turned far away. She could see he was lost, thinking hard of what horrors, she did not know. But the dead haunted look he was giving her, forced her to see past his horrible actions and try to understand the soul within. So she spoke without logic, without thought.

"Are you okay?" He blanked at her soft tone. No one had ever asked him that question before. He felt one tiny crack in the black shell that incased his heart. He closed his eyes, he could not let her see the effect she had on him. He slowly released his grip on her wrists, turning his back on her, for what he hoped, was the last time. He couldn't take anymore of having to endure her presence, it was the reason he was falling behind. If he didn't get himself under control, she was going to be indirectly responsible for his own murder. Hell, he was an idiot. Her soft palm touched his back several moments later, and he almost died from the pleasure of her fingers, _willingly_ , caressing him. He closed his eyes and let her rub his back, soothing his raging emotions.

"Draco," His given name sliding off her tongue seemed to short-circuit his brain. He should be shoving her away, telling her to get her filthy hands off of him, telling her to run and hide because her days were numbered. But instead, he accepted her comfort, her empathy. Maybe yet, she would be the one to drive away the darkness. "Whatever it is you think you need to do…well, I can't stop you. But please, please think about the consequences of your actions. Do you really want to add to the misery of the world? Do you really think that revenge and murder will make you happy? I don't know a lot about you, but I was apparently under the delusion that you were smarter, _better_ , than your father and Voldemort." She felt his back muscles tense against her fingers. She didn't move away. "Don't you see what power has done to them? Do you really want to go the same way?"

He was silent, floored by her words, her audacity to speak them with such conviction and heart. She was everything he was not. And more. And that knowledge freed him in a way. He couldn't resist taking advantage of her compassion.

"You don't understand. It's too late." He heard the words leave his lips, but he did not register that it had been he, who had spoken. "I'm almost out of time, and if I don't do this…I'm, I'm-" A dead man. He finished in his head, turning back to look at her. Her face had lost all its color, apparently he had spoken out loud, for she looked as if she might faint from his confession.

"Let me help you," She breathed, her own logic fleeing into the balmy air incasing them.

"It's better if you don't get involved." He murmured, suddenly feeling intoxicated by a strange perfume that was sifting through the air.

"Involved? I'm already involved. I…." She trailed off, the heady scent was wrapping itself into her brain. "What is that smell?" Hermione asked, her eyes suddenly looking dazed.

"Hmmm?" Draco murmured, once again leaning into her space. He breathed in the air around her, it smelled divine.

"Draco, I feel…" She looked around her, and then back at him. Her eyes were teasing him with a strange, hidden desire. He could see, deep in her orbs, that she wanted him just as badly as he did her.

"Just one night, Granger. One night. That's all I want. That's all I ever wanted." _Lies_ , his heart whispered. He heard his voice leaving his body, but he couldn't control the words that were coming out of him.

"You hate me, remember?" Hermione could not think clearly. Was it pollen? What was making her so honest, what was clouding her head with confusion and forcing her subconscious to the surface of her mind? In a very dull and fuzzy part of her brain, she vaguely remembered Professor Sprout saying that the Lover's Bloom was vibrant this year and being harvested in Greenhouse….six? Or was it eight?

"Yes. Yes of course, how could I forget how much I….hate you." Malfoy looked as if he were a million miles away, lost in her eyes. He leaned down and caressed her face like a gentle wind. "Do you feel odd?" He muttered, as he began to place hot open-mouthed kisses against her neck.

"I think we need to get out of here, there's a peculiar plant from Brazil, when its in bloom…it makes you say all sorts of things that, well, you normally wouldn't admit-" She was struggling to remember her train of thought. His mouth was doing mad things to her mind.

"You despise me too, remember?" He remarked off hand, as he started to play with the buttons on the bottom of her blouse, his fingers reaching inside to run over the soft skin of her stomach.

"I don't despise you. I just think your weak-willed and horribly ignorant and a complete and utter snob, but I don't hate you." She sneezed in his face.

"You're so sexy." He couldn't keep his hands off of her.

"Draco-" He pulled her tightly against him with a possessive growl.

"Say it again." He commanded, wrapping her hair around his fists and pulling her mouth an inch from his. "Say my name." His voice was dark seduction. She stared at him through half-lidded eyes.

"Why do you hate me?" She whispered.

"You scare me." He breathed back, unable to control himself.

"Why?" He sucked in more of the tantalizing aroma sifting through the air around him, allowing his thoughts freedom.

"No matter how much money or power I have, I'll never be as happy as you. That scares me, how much you open yourself up, allow yourself to feel so much, and then to have to endure that pain…you are fearless. And I am..." He let his head drop to meet hers, closing his eyes as he breathed deeply. "I am jealous of you, your friendships, your talent, your ability to do the right thing. I-deserve all of your hate, and more-" There was a sudden bang from their right and they both jumped, Hermione's head clearing almost immediately.

"Let's get out of here," She breathed, reaching for his hand and puling him towards the back of the Greenhouse. Once they hit the fresh air, Draco was furious. He rounded on Hermione with a vicious snarl.

"What the fuck was that? Some sort of trick? To try and make me confess?" He hissed, whirling around in anger to pierce her with his slate eyes.

"Draco, I-"

"It's _Malfoy_ , to you." He snarled, furious at how much he had revealed. Her and fucking Severus had conspired against him.

"Malfoy-"

"Save your breath. I don't care what you have to say. Stay out of my way or you'll regret it." He turned on his heel, storming back off to the castle in a rage.

He went straight to the Room of Requirement, as he now annoyingly referred to it as, thanks to that sneaky little bitch! He popped open a bottle of Ogden's and attempted to drink Hermione Granger from his brain. It wasn't until he had reached the bottom of the bottle, that he realized she had told him she didn't hate him. If he needed her help, she would be there. He wished desperately in that very moment, that he could be anyone else. He would give it all up, all the money and power, his own life, if it meant she would believe in him.


	4. Chapter 3- Spring

PART FOUR:

 _April_

Months passed and Hermione grew more concerned over Draco Malfoy and his erratic behavior. Whatever he was up to, it was eating him alive.

There were moments, when he looked at her as if he were seconds away from taking her offer and accepting her help. At times, it seemed as though he wanted to be good and better, not just for her, but for his own sake. But he didn't, he _wouldn't,_ ask.

Then there were other instances, where he would stare at her with his dead eyes from across a room, and laugh hollowly before stalking off. She noticed he ate less and less and she was sure that he had stopped sleeping all together.

She was ridiculously worried and on edge, but it seemed as if everyone else was too caught up in his or her own private little world to notice the difference.

Since when had Malfoy been any of her concern? Though she knew, she was just doing the right thing. He could snap at anytime, and she had to make sure she was there, so she could stop him. Or protect him, the lover in her added. He had no one else to go to, except Snape.

But the Professor was also looking more and more strained as each week passed.

On top of that, Ron was continuing to pester her with his obnoxious antics, trying to spend his every waking moment glued to her side now that he and Lav Lav had split up.

In a different world, Hermione would have felt smug and joyful about this news, and might have even endured his horrid manners for some company. But not anymore, no thanks to Malfoy; who she was now spending most of her time tracking, doing everything in her power to figure out what he was up to in the Room of Requirement for all those lost hours.

Two nights ago, she had run into him on the 2nd floor. He had just been exiting the girl's bathroom, Myrtles' bathroom to be exact.

Hermione looked at him curiously, as he did his very best to mask his emotions at running into her. He had been so distant lately...not just with her, but with everyone. She wondered briefly, if he had been down in the Chamber of Secrets. _We already killed that beastie_ , she thought to herself.

She tried to speak to him, but he just brushed her aside. She noted that the dark circles under his eyes made him look like a walking corpse, and couldn't help herself as she voiced these thoughts to him.

"Stay away from me, Granger." He warned, his voice dead and emotionless. Without turning around, he strode away. "It's for your own good, trust me."

She should have listened.

 _May_

Two more weeks had passed, and Hermione found herself creeping back around the same corridor, eyeing the bathroom door with intense haste.

She had watched him leave the Room of Requirement about thirty minutes ago and then followed him here. It was only five in the afternoon, but the corridors were dim and an ominous feeling rent the air. Thunder and lightening flashed menacingly across stonewalls, making her jumpy of her own shadow. But she refused to leave until she had some answers.

After twenty minutes, she could stand the suspense, no more. As quietly as she could, she pushed open the thick door, and the sight that met her was one she had been half-expecting.

Draco was bent over the sink, his head hung in defeat, his hair a mess, all of his things strewn about him in puddles of water across the floor. He was shaking, his crisp, white shirt rolled up to the elbows, exposing a grotesque and horrific branding.

The Dark Mark.

She could see it clearly in the mirror's reflection, but couldn't control the gasp of horror that sprung from her lips. His head shot up quickly, his face lined with tears. His eyes, furious and terrified.

"Granger." He breathed, she was once again viewing him through a tainted surface, a barrier.

She wanted to scream at him and hit him and tell him he should be locked away and deserved to be unloved for all that he had done. But she was sure more than ever, if she flew off the handle right now, the situation could become extremely dangerous.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, his eyes blazing, possessed with the fire of failure. "Come to see me die?" He nearly screamed, tearing at his hair as he turned to face her. Hermione could not look away, the desperation, the fear in his soul, made her heart break. Though she kept her distance; she was unsure of what to expect from a sleep deprived, clearly unhinged wizard.

"Are you alright?" She breathed, determined to keep eye contact. It was essential for him to know she was not going to lose control.

"You're not fucking serious." He laughed in shock. There was that insipid question again. Was he alright? What the fuck did she care?

"I mean, what can I do?" She tried, again.

"What can you-?" He ran his hands through his hair again, completely thrown by her words.

Silence.

And then she exploded.

"Oh dammit all to Hell, Malfoy! Look what you've _done_ to yourself!" She railed, gesturing towards the horrid mark, distorting his beautiful skin. As hard as she tried to fight it, she couldn't help the furious tears that washed up into her eyes and cracked her voice. "Are you mental!? I mean, what could possibly possess you to-?"

In her tirade, she had failed to notice he crossed the floor to her in three large steps, pulling her roughly into his arms.

"If I hadn't, the Dark Lord would have killed my mother. Now he's going to kill her anyway because I've failed. Do you hear me, Granger?" He was shaking her, his features filled with frantic pain. She couldn't take her eyes from the horrific skull grinning up at her from his forearm. "I'm a massive failure! I've let, everyone down. A waste of flesh...but don't worry. Soon it will be all over." He pulled her head against his chest, holding her to him as Hermione's tears leaked silently from her eyes. He was shaking uncontrollably. They stayed like that for several moments. Her mind was whirling chaotically, desperate to come up with a plan.

"I want you to leave here. " He urged suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts. "I want you to go, take a portkey, go to the Burrow or your parents place-"

"What are you talking about?" She whispered, feeling his body tense against her.

"Tonight. You can't be here. I don't want you here." His voice was harsh with panic.

"Why not?" She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her.

"Just listen to me for once, fuck, Granger!" He spat, with rising anxiety. She remained stonily silent. "Promise me." He commanded.

"No." She pulled back, stepping away from him. He almost didn't have the strength to let her go.

"So be it, then." He snarled. "You and Potter, eh? Thick as thieves." Draco felt a sudden rush of uncontrollable jealously seize him. How could he think he ever deserved her? _He_ was the one unworthy to touch _her_. He pulled his hands back from her body as if he had been burned.

"Sorry, what?" She asked, watching him with mistrust and confusion.

"If _he_ told you to leave here, you would." He ground out with barely contained fury.

"What does that have to do with anything? Malfoy, _what_ is going on?" Something in her eyes made him soften his tone, against his better judgment.

"Don't make it your concern. That's what I'm telling you. Just go, and save yourself." She really didn't like the sound of that. Any trace of fear in her gaze was instantly replaced with justified disbelief.

"Save _myself_? What kind of monster do you think I am?" She asked him with disappointment. He just stared at her, truly letting her words sink in. It was now or never.

"You can't die." He rasped out, refusing to meet her eyes.

"What?" She whispered, hardly comprehending his sudden shift in tone.

"I don't want you. To die. Her-...Hermione. I don't want to kill...anyone. I am NOT my father!" He bellowed, burying his face in his hands and taking deep breaths. She stared at him in shock.

"No one is going to die. I told you, let me help you. Malfoy, I want to help you." She breathed, her heart hammering furiously, as he looked up at her with his shattered gaze.

He couldn't believe she was real. He reached out to confirm it- just grazing his lips against hers in the most delicate and awe inspiring kiss-

"Get your bloody hands off of her!" The bathroom door exploded like a shotgun, as Harry Potter came storming into the echoing chamber, the Marauder's Map clenched tightly in his fist. His wand drawn, and the incantation already on his lips.

Draco shoved Hermione out of the way; she slipped in the water, falling hard against the floor. He reached for his wand, but Harry was too quick.

"SECTUMPSEMPRA!"

"Harry, no!" She screamed, but it was too late. Malfoy turned his head instinctually, upon hearing her shout.

The curse hit him and he fell slowly, gracefully; his eyes still glued to her, his arm outstretched in her direction. Hermione was positive that in that moment, he was the most beautifully tragic thing she had ever seen. With a harsh crack, his body hit the floor and then blood began to pour out of him. He convulsed as he choked on the crimson flow.

And Hermione realized in that moment, she cared if he lived or died.

She bloody cared.

She threw herself across the floor towards him, grabbing his wand that lay forgotten at his side and began to heal him. She tugged his sleeve down, breathing a sigh of relief that Harry had not seen the ugly tattoo. She would deal with that information later.

The Chosen One stood off to the side, watching on in complete shock. He continued to stutter about the Half Blood Prince and not knowing what the spell did. Hermione silenced him with a glare that would have terrified Bane.

The constant dripping of water set her teeth on edge. But as she worked, Hermione pushed her horror and anxiety to the side; she must save him. By the time she had finished tending to Draco, she was covered in his blood.

He was unconscious, but his breathing had returned to normal. Hermione took a deep breath, finally turning her gaze to The Boy Who Lived.

"Harry, I told you, I told you that flipping book was cursed! You're terribly lucky that I've read about that spell. It was created by Eileen Prince in 1943 and-" She whispered harshly, getting revved up for a lecture. He lowered his eyes at her tone, interrupting her.

"I messed up Hermione, okay? You're right." She huffed and got to her feet, just as Luna Lovegood came strolling into the bathroom. She took one look at Draco's unconscious form, and then turned to smile at Hermione.

"Hello, Hermione. Haven't seen much of you this term. Prefect duties keeping you busy?" She glanced back at Malfoy. "Hello, Harry." She turned her dazed eyes to his. "A letter for you." She held it out to Harry as if they were merely conversing lightly between classes, waved to them both, and left the bathroom. Harry tore open the letter quickly, his eyes scanning.

"It's Dumbledore, he's back." He looked up at Hermione in panic.

"Go...just go. I'll handle this." She promised desperately, turning to look once more at Draco, panic etched across her face.

"You're a Saint, Hermione." Harry's face was filled with relief. But she didn't see it, she couldn't keep her eyes off the Slytherin Prince's defeated form.

"Go!" She nearly screamed, her voice breaking with stress. With one last glance at Malfoy, and a curious twitch of the eye at Hermione, Harry took off at a sprint.

She brought him to the only place she knew no one would find them. The Room of Requirement; a place to keep her and Draco Malfoy safe and un-plottable.

The room did not disappoint, it was like something out of a Gothic Novel. She levitated him to the massive four-poster bed in the center of the room and then began to remove his sopping wet shirt.

She briefly noticed the room had morphed to accommodate them with hundreds of books, alcohol and a very romantic setting. Hermione frowned. She carefully cleaned each slice of his flesh that was raw and red, but healing. She used a bit more magic to make him comfortable and hopefully bring him around. She could then figure out what it was she was supposed to be running away from this evening. She had to warn someone…

Hermione left her safe haven and a sleeping Malfoy, and went in search of some authority. She was dismayed when she learned that Dumbledore had apparently left for the evening and Harry, mysteriously seemed to disappear along with him.

Ron, Ginny, and Fred and George were all at the Burrow for Molly's birthday. And McGonagall had only assured Hermione that the castle was well protected and that everything was under control. Hermione failed to mention that she was harboring a Death Eater in the Room of Requirement, and probably breaking about a million and a half school rules.

She returned to check on him around 7pm. He was still sleeping. Carefully, she approached the bed, gazing down at him. He was like a work of art, so profoundly damaged, yet so exquisitely breathtaking at the same time. His chest and torso were covered with partially healed scars now. Hermione absent-mindedly smiled at her handy work, impulsively reaching down to run a finger over one particularly large slash. She gasped as his rough fingers wrapped around hers with determination.

"Good evening, Granger. What do I owe the pleasure of you tending my half-naked self?" He grinned at her stupidly. Drat, she had hardly been able to mix the proper elixir while focusing on fixing him up. She might have added a tad too much of the Cannabis root.

"Harry almost killed you. I saved your life." She bit out.

"Well, that sounds just bloody awful, doesn't it?!" Yes, he was definitely high. Hermione frowned, glancing down at her cauldron.

"Malfoy, I need you to focus. Tell me, what is happening tonight?" Her eyes once again flickered down to the Dark Mark. It was taunting her.

"Tonight? Nothing. Nothing happens unless I make it happen. You understand?" He threw her a winning smile, that had Hermione expecting maybe some where deep down, he was as charming as her first love, Gilderoy.

"Not really…." She hedged, looking at him strangely.

"If I don't, you know," He made a bunch of gestures with his hands, as if practicing wand work. She pushed his wand a bit down further into her robes. This could all be a trap, she had to be wary, he was a marked Death Eater, after all. "Then nothing will happen." He finished, his brow furrowing in concentration. "And if nothing happens, then, I will… I will die." He looked slightly put out by the concept.

"You're not going to die." She insisted with an eye roll.

"I'm not?" He questioned politely. He should stay high for the rest of his life, she thought in that moment. If it meant he would use his, obviously refined, manners.

"No, you're safe here. No one can find us." Her own voice didn't sound particularly confident or comforting to her.

"Can't they?" He suggested impishly, reaching out to try and pluck open her robes. She slapped his hand away.

"Malfoy! Be serious. You're acting like a complete ninny." He huffed in annoyance, but attempted to retain some sort of composure.

"Everything is fine, Granger. Like I said, it's not your problem. I am simply…not going to do it. I can't. So...I won't. And there will be consequences. But I've been used to those for years. And if he kills me, or whatever, then at least I know I've died doing the right thing." His eyes hardened with rapture. "But I won't let them touch my mother."

She stared at him, unable to put her words into sentences. His confession completely floored her. With a quick wave of her wand, she cleared his mind of it's haze, and watched him clench his jaw as he looked down at his scars and accepted his renewed pain.

"How much time do we have?" She asked, shakily.

"Not much. I don't know if the others will still try to come here...if I'm not the one to let them in. Not sure they'd risk it unless…Dumbledore was out of the way." He clenched his jaw in wrought worry.

"He _is_ out of the way! He's left the castle for the night. And _who_ is coming here? Draco I need to know exactly what you've planned." Hermione felt a hard adrenaline spike through her bones.

"Fuck." He breathed. He was silent for a few moments.

But once he began confessing, he couldn't seem to stop. She listened patiently to his explanation. She could see it pained him to admit how much he had contributed to this awful mess; his regret and guilt were spilling over into anguish.

"I've got to get to her before they realize I've failed. If I don't, she's going to be…" He stopped, not allowing the image of his mother and Greyback to destroy his mind.

He breathed deeply, trying to keep calm. His airways felt as if they were closing, as if the world were going up in flames. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind in that moment, were Granger's soft fingers wrapping around his and giving him strength.

"I'll send word right away. We won't let them hurt her." She jumped into action, leaving a stricken looking Draco behind, wondering what he would have become without her.

She didn't return for the rest of the night.

Draco spent hours, hours upon hours, conjuring up the most horrific of nightmares. Hermione being caught in the castle by Bellatrix and Greyback, what they would do her…how they would peel her flesh like a freshly, plucked peach.

But he was helpless; he could not leave the room. Whatever wording Hermione had used when creating this specific setting, she had done with the intention of not letting him out. Which meant she knew he was guilty, that he was bad, that he was everything dark and horrid. And she had made him her prisoner. She had condemned him to this fate. He was sure the dementors would be coming for him before dawn broke. And his mother...he couldn't help the strangled cry that seared through his vocal chords, sapping him of all restraint. He had gone mad.

As the night wore on, his demons grew with rage.

Maybe she'd never let him out. Maybe he would starve to death, screaming her name.

Draco tried to calm his panicked breaths, but he could not resist slamming his fists through several walls. He had torn open his wounds in the process and his mind was ravaged with fury and loathing.

He continued his sick, obsessive narrative of every awful thing that could be happening, all centered around Granger.

Weasel and her fucking, Potter and her fucking, everyone and her. Fucking. He went down a mental list of every man he knew, taking the woman he wanted more than anything. Who had forsaken him, who he had weakly turned to for help, because he had wanted so hard to believe that there was maybe a single shred of light in him.

But it had been extinguished, it was gone now. If it had ever truly existed to begin with.

He threw himself on the floor, wiping the blood from his knuckles and leaving smears of crimson across his tattered chest. Mercifully, he found a carefully hidden bottle of whiskey under a floorboard. The wench had a heart after all.

That was how she found him, as dawn broke the sky. Dead to the world, and snoring like a Dragon.

Hermione dropped down next to him on the floor in exhaustion, picking up the empty whiskey bottle and staring at it. She poked him in the side with it and he jumped with a start, coming fully awake.

Her face nearly undid him. It took every ounce of his will not to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she loved him back. Back? His jaw twitched with emotion. Yes. He bloody loved her. And she was staring at him with just a slight amount of concern and a good dose of annoyance. But she was alive and she was breathing, and- His brow furrowed. He grasped her hands in his, sitting up quickly and forgetting about his wounds. He hissed against the pain, but still held onto her.

"My mother-"

"She's safe. She's fine. We had her sent to St. Mungo's. She was a bit banged up, but, _no_ , Draco. Look at me. She's fine. And now under official protection of The Order of The Phoenix."

"What?" He breathed, barely hoping to believe it.

"It's all been settled, thanks to Severus. Draco, you've saved dozens of lives. Your tip about the Death Eaters allowed Auror's to ambush them outside the school. Only two of them made it inside and-" He suddenly noticed the huge gash on her forehead. He reached out to touch it, a growl building in his throat, his eyes flashing with fire. "Look at me, look. I'm _fine._ " She emphasized, running her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. A deep vibration sounded in his chest at how wonderful her touch felt.

She thought his purr was better than Crookshanks.

Draco was contemplative and silent for several long minutes, before he got to his feet and began to pace. Hermione rose slowly, watching him.

"And Dumbledore?" He finally muttered, quietly.

"Very proud of you. He'd tell you himself, but Snape nearly burst into tears when he arrived back. I've never seen him lose control like that before, he was shouting and cursing at Dumbledore like a maniac. They retired to his office hours ago and have still not surfaced." Draco raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"And Potter?" His tone was level, but Hermione could still pick up on the insecurity there.

"Also fine, I've already promised to lecture him about his behavior until the day he defeats Voldemort." She assured him with a half-smile. His face fell at the name.

"I'm a traitor." He spat, a dark look entering his eyes.

"You're a hero." She forced his gaze up to hers, willing him to see her opinion, evident in her eyes.

"Right, Granger. And you're a pureblood." He snapped, pulling his head away from her.

"I'm much better than all of that." She replied cockily, her voice ringing with annoyance. He paused, before turning to look back at her.

"Yeah...you are." He breathed quietly. How could he have ever thought one night would be enough? And especially now, that she was looking at him like she thought he was worth something more.

"I'm sorry?" Her eyes filled with an unknown emotion.

"Fuck it. Hermione, look, V-Voldemort's going to be after me now." He tried not to shudder as he said the name.

She looked at him patiently.

"Yes? Pesky, isn't?"

"And, I don't want you to be in danger." He continued. Just tell her how you feel!

"You do realize how ridiculous you sound, correct?" She eyed him with growing amusement.

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing, we continue on." She smiled then, taking a step forward and grabbing his hand. He completely lost his next thought, he shook his head in annoyance.

"Is that how it works when you're a hero?" Was his sardonic reply; though he couldn't stop himself from rubbing his fingers over her smooth flesh. Her hand wrapped around his, was salvation.

"It's not always that easy, but we manage." She looked proud of herself.

"We?" He looked wary.

"Harry, Ron and I." She replied cheerfully.

"The Golden Trio, how could I forget?" He rolled his eyes with all the sarcasm in the world.

"Well now that you've openly changed sides, and once you've admitted I was right all along...I believe there will be room for improvement." He didn't like that twinkle in her eye, as if she were already concocting a plan on making them all besties. "Given, you're still in _loads_ of trouble and will have quite the extra-curricular schedule for the remainder of the year." She frowned at him, scarily resembling McGonagall.

"Don't hold your breath, Granger. I'm not suddenly good, and I'm certainly not going to buddy up with Scar Head, who, if you haven't forgotten, tried killed me."

"It was an accident." She pouted prettily.

"Right." He drawled.

They stared at each other.

"So, I'll…see you around?" She asked, heading towards the door. He joined her, grabbing his belongings. She had neatly stacked them against the side of the bed. He looked around for a few moments, his brow furrowing, as she admired his lean frame.

"Oh! Here." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out his wand, tossing it to him lightly. She blushed at how distracted she was by his bare chest, especially with all of those _scars._

"You stole my wand?" He looked at her in mild amusement, as he transfigured a piece of gauze he ripped off his stomach, into a shirt. He shrugged it on and came striding close to her once more.

"I was…just watching my back." She breathed, suddenly overwhelmed by his intense eyes. He reached for her slowly, drawing her to him as if she were fragile glass that he might accidentally break.

"Well you should continue to do so. You never know, Granger…Stranger things have happened." He whispered, as he lifted her chin up so he could stare into her eyes. She gazed back at him in wonder.

"They most certainly have, Malfoy." She whispered, almost mesmorized; the passion and free will and most importantly, the _change_ that she saw in his eyes, filled her up with an incredible intuition of hope. And hope was the most magical and powerful feeling of all...after love, of course.

"Draco." He murmured.

"Hmm?" She asked, hardly fighting against his touch, his hold on her.

"My name, Hermione...is Draco." He captured her lips as swiftly as she had stolen his heart.

 **AN: What do we think? Should I continue on into Deathly Hallows territory? Also, thanks for reading. You guys keep me sane.**

 **M.x**


	5. Chapter 4- Summer Heat

**You little devils! You've convinced me…**

 **Much love and thanks for your feedback, it keeps me going.**

 **Enjoy,**

 **M. x**

 _August:_

It was hot as hell and the stifling air of number 12 Grimmauld Place was filled with palpable tension and sweat. It was nearing the end of summer, but the suffocating heat refused to let up. Hermione Granger was sure this was some sort of punishment. Yes, she was convinced that it was karma, resulting directly from her unhinged and inappropriate behavior. Behavior she had yet to confront and accept: That she was harboring a secret infatuation for a certain wizard, who she knew, was nothing but trouble.

She tried to turn her thoughts away from possessive silver eyes and focus on the meeting that was currently happening. They had all been cooped up here since the end of term, trying to figure out the best plan going forward, in light of the impending war.

It had been quickly decided that Hermione would not be able to return to Hogwarts. She had already received a pamphlet from the "Ministry" telling her she must submit herself for questioning before the week was out.

This had thrown Harry into a fit of rage, and he had refused to even _listen_ to her argument about why she absolutely needed to finish her studies. They had one of the most epic fights of their friendship later that evening, as her supposed "best mates" teamed up against her. After she had nearly destroyed the drawing room in her fury, Dumbledore had assured her, that he would make arrangements for her to continue her studies from Headquarters.

It was very little consolation. Hermione was gloomy at the prospect of being confined to this miserable place with only Kreacher, Luna and Snape for company.

Ron and Ginny would be returning to Hogwarts, since their blood still permitted them an education under this new regime. Meanwhile, Harry had told Ron and her that he and Dumbledore would be leaving any day now, to hunt down and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. Both of them had insisted that they come along, but Harry had been adamant. He said he needed Ron to hold things down at Hogwarts and he needed her to…just not get into any more trouble.

She had told them all about Malfoy the evening after the 'break- in'. Ron and Harry had both been shocked and horrified to learn of her involvement with the snake, and how she had stopped him from trying to murder Dumbledore. They were furious and concerned and had not let up on her, on how stupid she had been to not confide in them. It had taken several days, but they had finally come around, well at least Harry had, in accepting that she had done the right thing.

She left out all the sordid details, knowing that it didn't matter if Draco Malfoy killed Voldemort himself; if the boys found out just how 'involved' she had been, they would murder him regardless.

Order members came and went constantly from the place, and there were at least three meetings a day. Hermione had very little time to think about anything except how they could defeat Voldemort as soon as possible. But at night, as she lay awake with a million thoughts running through her mind, she always seemed to come back to him.

She wondered where he was and what he was doing now. After that searing kiss in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had seen very little of Draco Malfoy. She had spent the small remainder of the term, cooped up in Gryffindor tower studying. She was hoping to give him some space and time to adjust to his momentous revelation. He had forsaken his entire lifestyle and was finally seeing the truth. She did not want to rush him.

But then he had left school early, on Dumbledore's orders, as soon as exams had finished. She had not a clue as to where he had gone or what had happened to him. She had casually asked Dumbledore about it one stormy night in June, after a particularly long meeting. He had smiled mysteriously at her over his half-moon spectacles.

"I imagine your paths will cross sooner than you think." He had murmured, his twinkling gaze flickered to Snape, whose mouth pulled down in an impressive snarl.

That one sentence had Hermione reeling for the rest of the month. What had he meant?

Did she want to see him again? Yes and No. She was highly conflicted about how they had left things. She had not a clue how he felt about her, and in return, she wasn't exactly sure how she felt about him. Why had he not contacted her once?

She had waited for a month, hopeful that he would send her a letter, or a sign that he was alive. When he didn't, she convinced herself that she had clearly imagined their connection, and that he had just been desperate and in need of comfort, no matter who it had been from. Hermione felt her cheeks burn with shame at the thought of her own stupidity. Just because he didn't want her dead, it didn't mean he actually cared.

Oh but, she was beyond curious. She knew that their chemistry had been undeniable and certainly twisted. If they weren't snogging, they were arguing. That seemed normal enough to her. But it was the intensity of emotion that he provoked in her, that was what really terrified her.

Hermione also wasn't one of these silly girls who became infatuated with men, especially men like Malfoy, who were cruel and damaged. She wasn't into the bad boys. She liked smart, funny wizards who were brave and morally acceptable; and that certainly wasn't him. Well, he was intelligent, and he could definitely make her laugh when he felt like it, and he _had_ risked his own life for his mother's….

Though she had kept all of this to herself, with everyone already being under so much stress and pressure, she saw no reason to add fuel to the fire. Besides, they would all tell her she was insane, and she already knew that.

And just yesterday, Hermione had been ignored and out-voted; she would be stuck here indefinitely and Snape would be taking over her and Luna's entire education. She had balked at Harry in horror. How could he do this to her?

Snape's cover had been blown with his brave actions of rescuing Narcissa from the Manor, and he was now as wanted as Hermione. Luna's father had gone missing several weeks ago and they had found her wandering around the small courtyard of Grimmauld Place one rainy afternoon. When they had asked her, dumbfounded, how she had found them, she admitted that she just followed the Nargals.

As of now, living arrangements were cramped and tensions had been rising steadily all summer. Harry and Ginny had gotten together and then broken up. The red head hardly showed her face these days, and Ron was clearly upset with Harry's decision to leave his sister broken hearted. He also had been dropping pretty hard hints at Hermione, that he was _now_ ready to start up a proper relationship with her. She had been purposely avoiding him with any means necessary. That included one drunken night of some heavy petting and snogging with Fred Weasley after Lupin's birthday party.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Snape, clearing his throat loudly and with annoyance. Hermione's gazed snapped up, everyone was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. She had forgotten she was still in a meeting.

"I'm sorry?" She stammered, a blush rising to her face. "What was the question?"

"If you aren't going to pay attention Miss Granger, I don't see any point in wasting my breath." He hissed, his eyes tightening with malevolence. Hermione frowned. Snape had become increasingly nastier to her as the summer had worn on. It was as if now, that he had been forced to admit he had good in him, he tried harder than ever to convince everyone of the opposite. She had tried to be friendly and she was now highly aware, that had been a huge mistake.

"I apologize." She huffed, her composure slightly shaken. Remus took pity on her.

"Severus was asking how you felt about the new living arrangements." He replied kindly. Hermione looked to Harry and Ron. They both were glaring, beyond furious. Luna was smiling serenely, a radish dangling from her right ear. The rest of the Weasley's looked worried, though Fred grinned at her with a wink. Dumbledore was unwrapping a chocolate frog loudly from the corner of the room, his nose buried in a Muggle gardening magazine. Hermione shook her head as if to clear the haze from her mind.

"Sorry? Are we moving?" Snape let out a horrifc bark of laughter that nearly scared her out of her wits. She had never heard such a sound from him before.

"No, you stupid girl." He snapped with spite.

"Hey!" Harry bit out. "Don't talk to her like that." Snape opened his mouth to retort, but once again, Lupin came to the rescue.

"A few new members will be joining our ranks." At this, Ron stood suddenly, fury evident in his gaze. He turned to look out the window, trying his hardest not to explode.

"Oh? Who?" Hermione questioned, feeling an irrational sense of anxiety grip at her heart.

"Blaise Zabini, for one." Remus replied quietly, his gaze shifting uncomfortably towards Dumbledore. He looked as if he had more to say, but instead, fell silent. Hermione once again locked gazes with her best friend, who looked as if he was going to be sick.

"Harry?" She questioned with a worried frown. But it was Dumbledore who answered, without even looking up from his reading material as he munched on a piece of chocolate.

"And Draco Malfoy, for two."

Ron's fist shattered the window with one blow, and chaos erupted. Hermione closed her eyes, as adrenaline ripped through her system.

A fresh breeze blew in through the broken glass, washing over her. And Hermione swore, in that moment, she could taste Draco Malfoy on the back of her tongue.

* * *

"What!?" He bellowed, staring at his Aunt Andromeda and his mother. They were both glaring up at him, arms crossed, giving him identical, disdainful glares.

"Stop yelling Draco, it's terribly uncivilized." Narcissa Malfoy chastised, as she took a sip of her tea.

"You _must_ be joking. You cannot do this to me!" He raged, stomping his foot in fury.

"It's already been decided, dear." Andromeda's soft voice was hardly reassuring. "You will be absolutely fine. It's for the best. After all, you _both_ made this choice." She looked to Zabini, who was leaning against the kitchen counter; his arms crossed and an amused smirk plastered across his face. He nodded in solemn agreement with Andromeda.

"And what about you two? You just expect me to leave you on your own to fend for yourselves? Mother, you said just yesterday, you only excel at glamour charms."

Narcissa rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"We are leaving tomorrow, Draco. Your Aunt and I have a lot of lost time to make up for, and we will be doing it in France." He did not argue with the hard stare he received from his mother. He knew she was dying to get out of England, to put the last 20 years behind her and finally move on with her life. Thank Merlin for Andromeda, she had lifted his mother out of her depression and had even convinced her to petition for a divorce from Lucius.

His father had broken out of Azbakan just one month ago, and Draco was furious and terrified all at once.

It had come down to this: instead of Lucius switching over to the right side and trying to fix things with his family, he had instead, gone crawling back to Voldemort with his tail between his legs. He had abandoned them for power and hate, once again. Draco still couldn't believe how narrowly he had escaped the same fate, and it was all thanks to her.

"I thought you would be pleased with the opportunity to redeem yourself." His mother drawled.

"I am." He breathed slightly. "But how do you expect me to _live_ there? They don't view me as their equal. I'm a coward, a traitor. You're delusional if you think that they will accept me as one of their own." He seethed, but underneath, his nerves were beginning to shred. He felt trapped.

"Then you must prove to them that you are changed man. You must show them, through actions, that you _want_ to be good." Andromeda offered.

"And you can start by wiping that nasty sneer off of your face." His mother concluded.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious Draco, your father has done more damage to this family than I care to admit. I want you to do the right thing."

"Then why didn't you try to stop him? Ever?" He accused, his anger uncoiling as he thought back to his childhood. When had she ever defended him, when had she ever stood up to Lucius while he was polluting his son's mind or bashing his head in with his cane? His mother looked small and weak in that moment, and he felt resentful guilt nibbling at his insides.

"You have no idea how I wish I could go back…" She looked tired suddenly, her gaze shifting to the past. Andromeda threw him a reproachful look, before placing a comforting hand on her sister's arm.

"The past is the past." She informed them. "We have no choice but to move forward." Her gaze locked on her distressed nephew. "I know you'll make the right choice."

Draco felt as if he had been sucker punched in the gut. He stormed from his Aunt's kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time. He strode into the guest room that he and Zabini shared, and threw himself back onto his bed. What kind of mess had he gotten into?

Draco's thoughts were distracted, filled with the presence of the golden Gryffindor. She infiltrated his dreams each and every night, and now he spent several waking hours trying to suppress his growing desires.

He could not forget that last kiss they had shared. True, he hadn't come out and told her that he liked her. Hell, he hadn't even informed her that he officially no longer despised her. He could only remember saying that he didn't want her to die.

He had confided in Blaise a few weeks ago, and the bastard had not let up on him since. He loved having the information to dangle over Draco's head.

"Well, Malfoy, I have to say, telling a woman you don't want her to die is the ultimate romantic gesture." Draco hexed him, but Zabini had still laughed about it for days.

Two weeks after Draco had almost succeeded in letting the Death Eater's into the castle, and the night before term ended, Blaise told him that he had gone to Dumbledore to seek asylum against his delusional, pureblood mother, who had just married another follower of Voldemort.

He informed Draco, that Dumbledore told them to be ready that night. He would be personally bringing them to the safe house, where they were to remain until given further instructions. And that was only _if_ , they were truly serious about joining the resistance. He had a feeling Dumbledore asked Andromeda to report to him, in regards to their behavior.

At the time, Draco would have done anything to get the hell out of Hogwarts. He was now viewed as someone as untrustworthy and dangerous as Voldemort himself. He couldn't stand all the staring and gossiping, which he would have normally loved. So he took refuge in the dungeons, but spent his evenings wandering the corridors in the hopes of running into Granger. He was not so lucky.

Potter and Weasel had cornered him on the third floor a few nights before he had left, threatening him within an inch of his life. He was to stay away from Hermione if he wanted to remain in one piece. He had kept silent, watching them carefully, as they were now aware that Granger had been the one to get him to break. The one who had supposedly _changed_ him.

He could only imagine how that conversation had gone. And from their expressions, he was sure, awful. He smirked in response. And then Weasley had punched him in the face. It didn't matter though; anything to drive a wedge between them was worth all injury he would sustain.

But Granger, he didn't get to say goodbye, or even tell her that he wanted her. It was probably for the best. If he retained any sort of honor, he would let her be, and focus on fixing his own life. He only wished it was that easy. He thought a million times of sending her a letter, letting his guts spill out to her. But in the end, it always came down to the same thing; he couldn't bring himself to feel any more vulnerable than he already did.

And now the instructions had come. They were to leave for Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of The Order of The Phoenix, first thing in the morning to begin training and finish their education with none other than Snape. Draco pulled himself off the bed, and reached for his trunk.

He would stay away from her, yes. Just long enough, he heard his conscience whisper, until he could prove that he deserved her.

 **Hm...thinking of developing Fred Weasley. He might be an interesting adversary for Draco to contend with...thoughts?**


	6. Chapter 5- Transition

**Hey Loves,**

 **Sorry for the delay with a new chappie. I've got a play going up this month in NYC and shit has been hectic! Anyways, here you are :)**

 **M. x**

Draco Malfoy wanted to kill himself. He was positive he had never felt more uncomfortable and unsure in his entire life.

He and Blaise had arrived at the given address the following morning, both frowning in confusion.

"Dumbledore said it was number 12, no?" Blaise asked with wariness, looking around them for a trap. Draco nodded his head in agreement as he stared at number 11, and then shifted his gaze to 13.

"I'd be more than happy to forget this whole thing and return to Andromeda's." Draco muttered under his breath. Blaise threw him a scathing look from over his shoulder.

"Coward." He hissed in delight. Draco took a step forward ready to knock Zabini on his ass for his insolence, when the building called Grimmauld Place began to tremble. They watched in amazement as a gloomy, gothic townhouse pushed itself into existence between 11 and 13. Blaise grinned at Draco.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" He clapped his hands together with giddy excitement, as Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Their greeting was less than cordial. Snape had grabbed them by the backs of their necks the minute they walked in, forcing them to their knees, as a few Aurors patted them down and checked them for dark magic. To say it was humiliating was an understatement, especially with Potter and Weasley standing there, watching with identical grins of satisfaction.

As soon as they were cleared, they were given room assignment and told that they had the day to acclimate themselves to Headquarters before training and classes began. Draco had purposely shoved Weasley harder than necessary, as he strode down the gloomy hallway and towards the staircase.

"Fucking Death Eater." Ron hissed as he passed. Draco ignored him, and it was Zabini, who was _usually_ non-confrontational, that responded.

"Hey Malfoy, wonder where Granger's room is…we should probably make finding out our top priority-" He was cut off by Potter, who had him pinned up against the banister in no time, his wand stabbing into Blaise's throat.

"Stay away from her, or you'll be thrown to Voldemort without a second thought." He hissed with menace, his eyes falling to Draco. "Especially you." Blaise shoved him back, his elegant smirk still perfectly in place.

"We're reformed Potter, that means we are on your side now. Accept it." He taunted, as he pushed his way past them, heading up the stairs. "Come on, Malfoy." Draco was still staring at Ron, who was glaring back at him with all the hate in the world.

"Just because she trusts you, it doesn't mean we do." He snarled, taking a threatening step forward.

"If your opinion mattered Weasley, I'd take it into consideration. Let me try to simplify it for you: I don't give a fuck what you think." He felt heat sear through him at the idea of Granger defending him. "She's a big girl, she can make her own decisions." And with that, he turned on his heel and headed up the stairs. Ron's growl followed after him, laced with menace.

"If you even look at her the wrong way-" He started. Malfoy turned, his fury rising.

"You'll what? Attack me two on one again? Slice me open with a fucking homemade spell?" He hissed. Weasley remained silent and Potter had the decency to lower his eyes.

"Dinner will be served at 7 o'clock." Came Dumbledore's calm, yet stern tone from the top of the stairs.

And that was where Draco found himself now. Sitting at a table full of people he had despised not months ago.

He moved his gaze around the room and stared at them, as he tried to memorize their faces and remember that this was his fate. It was all thanks to Granger, that he was now seated in the most unfathomable position of his life. _Everyone_ was there.

Dumbledore, Snape, a bunch of Weasley's, Potter, and a handful of other Order members, including his cousin Tonks and their old professor, Remus Lupin. Most of them would be vacating the place tomorrow, if he had heard the snippets of conversation correctly. Which was fine with him, he didn't care where they were going as long as they were out of his way and he had space to breathe.

He hadn't been in a group this large since he'd received his Dark Mark. He felt his skin burn involuntarily. The tattoo almost never let up with searing pain these days… punishment. He tried to return his attention to the people around him.

Where was Granger? She had yet to show her face, and he was beginning to get anxious. Yet he would rather slit his throat with a butter knife than let the question slip past his lips. Mercifully, it was Potter who seemed to read his thoughts, after about ten minutes of unbearable silence.

"Where's Hermione?" He asked, looking around in confusion. It was one of the Weasley twins who answered.

"'Mione had a pretty long day in the Potions lab, I think she was just finishing up downstairs." He and his twin exchanged a nefarious sort of grin. Draco felt his face harden with suspicion. He didn't like how that fucker said her name.

"That girl is going to work herself into the ground." Huffed Molly Weasley from the end of the table.

"She's used to it." Harry shrugged, digging into his pork chops; Ron threw him a slight glare and mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, Harry, we all know you have no sympathy when it comes to a girl's feelings." Harry raised his eyebrows at his best friend.

"Ron, please. Can we not do this again?" He muttered back. Draco strained to hear their low conversation; apparently there was trouble in paradise.

"We can do this all night. Did you happen to notice who _else_ isn't here? Or is it only Hermione that you care about?" He hissed furiously.

"Look, I get that you're upset, but this is between Ginny and I-" Ron slammed his fist down on the table.

"You've nearly destroyed her! But who gives a shit, huh? One less Weasley to contend with, who cares if you broke her heart? Harry Potter does whatever he pleases without consequence, isn't that right?" Draco and Blaise exchanged a surprised look. Apparently everything was not as peachy as it seemed between the two.

"For the love of- Ron. Stay out of it." Harry shot back. Lifting himself from his seat. He turned to the rest of the table, who were clearly aware of the uncomfortable situation unfolding. "Excuse me, I seem to have lost my appetite." He apologized, before quickly exiting the kitchen.

"Well little brother, have to say. You _are_ the cheery sort. Fred, aren't you glad we're heading back to the shop? This has hardly been an enjoyable holiday with all of little Ronnie's mood swings and fits." George Weasley announced.

"Ah, I'm sad to go. I've found the company extremely pleasant." Fred cheers-ed his brother and they both drank deeply, while Molly Weasley frowned down at her youngest son.

"Ronald, I do not approve of this nasty behavior as of late. I don't know what's gotten into you." She admonished. Blaise couldn't help but laugh at Ron's furious expression; his ears had gone bright red.

"What are you smirking at Zabini?" He snapped with irritation. Blaise raised his eyebrows innocently, putting on his most gentlemanly tone.

"Why nothing, I just couldn't help but notice you've turned the most interesting shade of red. I was just thinking how lovely, Luna here, would look in that exact color." He improvised wildly, as his gaze fell to the strange blonde on his left. She smiled dreamily at him.

"What a nice thing to say. But I'm afraid I could never wear red, it's the patent color of Cornelius Fudge's goblin army." Almost everyone ignored her comment, though Tonks leaned over and asked her about the details of such a conspiracy. She winked at Draco as she teased the girl, who was either unaware or couldn't care less. He almost smiled; at least he had _one_ family member that clearly enjoyed a little harmless mischief.

"How _is_ Hermione doing?" Molly Weasley inquired to no one in particular. "I haven't seen her once this week. Poor dear is probably terribly upset about the Muggleborn Registration Commission." She confessed, her eyes darkening with anger.

Draco felt his head snap up in shock at her words.

He and Blaise had been completely isolated since they had left Hogwarts, and received very little news in regards to the outside world. His mother refused to take any subscriptions out of the papers, and Andromeda had agreed with her; she could not allow the chance that their location might be disclosed. And as a result, both Draco and Blaise were unaware of how much ground Voldemort had gained since they had dropped off the grid.

"Sorry?" Blaise breathed, looking sharply across the table to Draco.

"A vile and inappropriate subject while we are eating, I'm sure." Came Dumbledore's soft reply.

"Yes," Agreed Arthur Weasley. He looked more tired and aged than ever. He gave his wife a little shake of the head, before looking down the table towards them. Draco felt his blood heat up, were they to be treated like prisoners? Not be given information? He knew this had been a horrible idea. But he could no longer keep his mouth shut, not when it concerned Granger's well being.

"What is the Muggleborn Registration Commission?" Draco heard the words leave his lips a little harsher than he had anticipated. It was the first time he had spoken, and everyone's heads turned towards him. Dumbledore smiled calmly.

"You misunderstood Draco, I only suggest that we do not discuss the topic during this lovely meal, as to not tarnish it with talk of war. You and Mr. Zabini will be filled in properly tomorrow morning. You see, The Order of the Phoenix spends almost every waking, and sleeping, moment concentrating on our efforts to defeat Voldemort. Severus and I have agreed, that there is nothing that spoils a meal quite like morbid and infuriating conversation." Snape looked as if he could not disagree more with Dumbledore, but he kept his mouth shut. Molly Weasley blushed slightly, murmuring a soft apology, but Albus grabbed her hand and smiled, telling her once again how delicious the food was. "No sorrys, Molly. I'm sure Grimmauld Place will not be the same once you've returned to The Burrow."

Yes, he would only have to endure one more night with all of these people. Only keep his mouth shut and his temper in check, long enough to see the back of the Weasley's and Potter. He was anxious for that moment.

Dinner continued as light conversation broke out amongst the wizards and witches sitting around him. He chewed his food, as he listened to their prattle.

Dumbledore was asking Snape's opinion about knitting patterns; the Potion's Master looked as if he'd rather be boiled in acid than participate in such a ridiculous conversation.

The twins were discussing their new line of products with his cousin, while Lovegood was regaling Lupin and Blaise with a homemade remedy for Nargal infestations; that included standing naked under the crescent moon with a kumquat strategically placed under each armpit.

Draco rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Weasley, who was glaring mutinously at him from the other side of the table. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, as their gazes locked in a staring contest. He continued to chew, as Ron held his steak knife in one hand, slowly grinding it into the top of the wood.

Draco was highly aware of a clock ticking in the near distance. It was constantly reminding him that the evening was growing shorter, and he was becoming more and more restless with the anticipation of seeing Granger. Just when he thought he would no longer be able to stand the tension, Ron's eyes shifted from his and the kitchen door swung open softly.

Draco looked down, taking a deep breath, feeling panic and intensity slice through his veins. It had to be her.

"Hermione, dear!" Molly Weasley's loud greeting burst out, overpowering the quiet murmur of conversation. "We were beginning to think you had gotten lost! Sit, sit, there's still plenty of food."

Draco refused to lift his eyes, as he imagined her serene smile and nod. He listened as her footsteps moved closer, and the scraping of her chair against the worn floor set his teeth on edge. He clenched his hands against the rough wood, hoping to hell, he had the physical restraint to not throw himself across the table and snatch her up into his arms.

"Hello, Blaise. Fancy seeing you here." Her voice was like warm honey. Draco felt his insides melt, and the beast inside him roared to life with a possessive need he had never known before. Blaise laughed.

"Ah, well you know. All of that dark, evil stuff got rather boring. I thought it was time for a change. Plus, having you and Miss. Lovegood for company definitely makes the situation _more_ than bearable." He murmured, as he reached over and kissed her hand.

Draco could stand it no more. He forced himself to lift his head and meet her eyes.

They locked, and it felt as if it were for the first time. There was no barrier, no glass to keep them apart. Her face was calm and relaxed, he felt his own harden into one of polite disinterest.

But her eyes, he could see the nervous energy there, the tension and passion threatening to spill out of her. He was sure his eyes looked no crazier; his heart was aching, his palms sweating. Several minutes of silence persisted, as everyone watched them. They had melted away into their own world, searching one another for a clue as to how to proceed. He realized he was going to have to be the one to break the silence. He cleared his throat; it felt as if he had been chewing on sandpaper for hours.

"Granger." He breathed, with a short nod of his head. His lips pulled into a straight line that gave nothing away. He saw something that looked like anger spark in her eyes. How had he already upset her? He noticed in his peripheral, that Blaise and Severus had exchanged an exasperated glance.

"Malfoy." She responded with cool indifference. She immediately dismissed him and turned to the food.

He continued to stare at her as conversation once again resumed. She looked beautiful, but not as she had before. There were dark circles under her eyes and it seemed as if she had lost several pounds. Her hair was the same wild mess, but her curls looked a little limp and forlorn.

He noticed, as she picked up the cutlery, that her hands were slightly shaking. Was she scared of him now? He inwardly scoffed. Of course not, Hermione Granger wasn't afraid of anything, was she? And what was this Muggleborn Commission shite about? He was itching to get her alone and find out some much needed answers.

Several glasses of wine later, Dumbledore excused himself, insisting that everyone enjoy their last night together as whole-heartedly as possible. Snape accompanied him from the kitchen, clearly anxious for whatever conversation they were to divulge in.

Molly and Arthur left next, heading back to The Burrow for good this time; not before kissing and hugging their children and Granger with exuberance. Draco watched on in shock and mild interest, he knew Zabini's gaze mirrored his own; they had never been given such affection by anyone, let alone their own parents. Draco thought on that, as the rest of the Order members trickled slowly from the room, he had already forgotten their names.

He watched as his cousin made eye contact with Remus, who had gotten pretty sloshed as the evening had worn on. Draco wasn't sure, but the man looked like whatever work he was doing for The Order, was very nearly killing him. He started in surprise, as Tonk's rose from the table and went to Lupin, taking his hand in her own and pulling him from the room as they said their goodnights.

It was only Blaise, the twins, Weasley, Lovegood and Granger left. He felt the tension rise a few notches now that the "responsible" adults were gone from the room.

"So Tonks and Lupin?" Blaise questioned with a broad smile.

"Yes." Hermione responded immediately. "They've been together for a few months now, officially, that is." She clasped her hands in front of her, a far away look falling into her gaze.

"It's so utterly romantic." Luna crooned. Ron rolled his eyes.

"He's a werewolf." Draco couldn't help but add. He was astonished at such a relationship. This was apparently the wrong thing to say, for Granger was now frowning at him with certain disapproval.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" She asked, an edge rising into her voice.

"I'm just…surprised." He tried, looking around for someone to back him up. Her glare hardened.

"By what? Two people who love each other enough to made it work?" She demanded. He was thrown off guard, where was all this fire coming from? He felt his pulse leap at the opportunity to rile her up. _No. No, play it cool_. His conscience whispered.

"Well, he's not exactly human and-" Draco was _going_ to say, that it was a potentially dangerous situation for Tonks to be in, but Hermione slammed her palms down on the table with sudden anger.

"He has more humanity than _most_ men I know." She hissed. The rest of the table was watching them as if they were a riveting tennis match. Ron's smile was growing by the moment. "So tell me Malfoy, what _exactly_ are you saying?" He could barely contain the urge to throw her down on the table and fuck her with passionate fury. _He would make her forget her own name_ , his Id whispered savagely.

"Alright, Granger." He snapped, losing patience with her. "What I really meant to say is, how does he not rip her throat out while they are fucking?"

Her jaw dropped open in surprise at his crass language. The twins broke out into hilarious laughter and Blaise joined them. Watching Hermione Granger get struck speechless was an event for almost everyone to enjoy.

"Well, I- that's certainly not-" She stuttered, her face turning bright pink. Draco smirked in response. "It's none of my business. I'm sure, they, you know, work around the full moon." She finished rather lamely.

"Work? Is that what they are calling it these days?" Fred poked Hermione in the side with a laugh. She nearly jumped out of her seat.

"Can we _please_ , change the subject?" She asked desperately, looking to Luna for a little help.

Draco was satisfied that he had won the first round against his fiery, soon to be lover. Where had those wicked thoughts come from? He inwardly groaned to himself, he'd been so sure that his feelings for Granger had only been out of desperation. She had been there for him when he was losing his mind. She had saved his bloody life!

Draco convinced himself that when he saw her again, all of the ridiculous feelings racing through him would evaporate. But he knew, deep down that was impossible. And she was now looking at him as if he were a nasty little insect she would love nothing more than to squish underneath her toes.

Weasel's voice pulled him from his reverie.

"Are you two staying here tonight or heading back to the shop?" He asked his brothers, who were currently pouring out a round of shots. Kreacher was lining up firewhiskey bottles on the table, madly muttering about Mudbloods. He had to give her credit, it looked as if Granger was completely ignoring the elf's existence.

Draco watched as Fred muttered something unintelligible to his brother. George frowned and looked down the table towards Hermione. He caught her eyes and smiled. Ron cleared his throat in annoyance. "Well?"

"Yeah." Said George, using his wand to send the shots soaring down the table.

"Yeah, what?" Huffed Ron. "Are you staying or going?"

"Haven't decided yet, why? Is Ickleronnie trying to get rid of his much more handsome and intelligent brothers?" Ron scoffed in annoyance as he picked up his shot.

"Have you been staying here regularly?" Blaise inquired of the twins.

"Only when we're too drunk to apparate home." George quipped. Malfoy looked at them suspiciously. It was usually a back and forth with those two, he wondered why Fred had gone suddenly quiet.

Hermione was twirling her shot glass between her palms nervously. Draco's eyes narrowed with irritation.

"To Hinkypunks and plenty of hydration!" Luna lifted her glass and then sucked the whiskey down. With a few odd glances and "here here-s", the rest of them followed her. They really should have stopped drinking then. But alas, it was in the fates that everyone was going to make the most of their last night together at Headquarters.

The only rule it seemed, was that there was to be absolutely no talk of Voldemort or the war. This one night, was apparently just for them. Draco tried to imagine what they had all been up to for the last three months. It looked as if they were stretched extremely thin. His concern grew, and so he joined them in drink.

An hour and a half later, Draco found himself wondering what he had possibly worried about in regards to accepting Dumbledore's offer and moving into this place. It wasn't nearly as bad as he had hoped, he thought drunkenly as he cheers-ed with Blaise once more. He had lost track of the amount of whiskey he had consumed, but if the four empty bottles in front of them were any indication, he was most assuredly pissed.

Weasley had passed out face down on the table about an hour ago and thirty minutes after that, Luna had wandered off in search of a Vampire coven she was sure were trapped behind the wall of the downstairs Potions lab.

Fred and George had spent the rest of the evening cracking jokes and doing demonstrations of their newest products, most of them on their sleeping brother. It was only around 2am, when Snape resurfaced with a nasty scowl and threatened to hex them all into oblivion, that they finally agreed to call it a night.

Draco was surprised that Granger had stuck around at all. She had started the evening with her normally cold, authority ridden glares, but by shot number 4, a tantalizing blush had risen into her cheeks and her eyes turned dark and sultry.

She looked much more relaxed and so very sensual. She licked her lips as she drained the last of her drink and set it down on the wood. Her eyes snapped up and met silver ice. Her eyebrow lifted delicately with an arrogant connotation, as she stared deeply into his soul. He could not look away.

"What?" She breathed, her tone still a bit indignant. Draco continued to stare, as he pushed his elbows up on the table and leaned towards her.

"I want to take you upstairs and make you scream my name." He hissed under his breath, as Blaise helped Fred and George to their feet at the other end of the table. Her face went blank and then very slowly, a concentrated frown formed across her features.

"Oh really?" She asked, slowly. "You know something Malfoy, I don't believe you."

"Are you challenging me, Hermione?" The way he said her name, forced a thrill of sensation down her spine. She closed her eyes, hoping to compose herself. But the whiskey had muddled her already foggy, Malfoy-ridden brain.

"I'm _telling_ you, this was a bad idea. All of it." She confirmed with a drunken nod.

"All of what?" His eyebrows drew together in confusion, she hated how adorably ruffled he looked.

"All of us." She retorted, hoping to Merlin she was still making sense.

"Us?"

"You know."

"Tell me." He urged, leaning even closer into her personal space.

"This… _thing_ , between us." The face that she made when she spoke, tore Draco between laughing and choking her.

"Sexual tension." He slurred sweetly, arrogant amusement sliding across his face.

"Exactly." She confirmed, thrilled he had caught on so quickly.

"And I believe I'm aware of only one way to make it go away…" He murmured, sliding his palms across the worn wood, slowly. He was inches away from touching her, finally.

"'Mione, you wanna put me to bed?" Fred grinned stupidly at her from the frame of the doorway, he could barely stand up. She jumped at the sound of the annoying nickname, breaking eye contact with the snake instantly. Draco felt his hands jerk away from her, as he watched her blush become more pronounced.

"Um, I think Blaise has already volunteered." She offered half-heartedly, feeling her embarrassment wash over her in waves. Fred looked between her and Malfoy with a slight smirk playing about his lips.

"Ah, should have known!" He quipped, waving them away with a dismissal of his hand. "Come on, George, let's head home. I know a lost cause when I see one. Was fun while it lasted though, no?" Hermione wanted to dive under the table and hide in shame. It was only one night! And they hadn't even slept together.

"Take care of this lot, Hermione." George gestured around to the mismatched, drunken kids.

She could feel Malfoy's burning glare pierce her skin like a thousand knives dipped in hot oil. Blaise threw Draco a guarded look, that told him to behave, before he helped the twins out. Silence.

Ron Weasley snored on.

Hermione took several moments to compose herself, before once again meeting his sneering face.

"Can't get enough of those sickening redheads, can you Granger?" He hissed with menace, jealously taking root deep in his bones.

While he had spent the summer wallowing in despair and jerking his cock to the thought of her, every chance he got, she was getting off with that fucking smart mouth Weasley.

Or had she done them both? He felt bile rise in his throat and his finger's clenched with vicious rage. Is this what it felt like to care? No, he was just being possessive. That was all. He was an only child and had never been good at sharing.

"Oh piss off, Malfoy. You're such a saint, are you?" She hissed, rising to her feet in equal fury, the whiskey giving her courage. "Since when are you so concerned about what I do?"

"Concerned? I'm not concerned." He scoffed arrogantly, standing to look down at her. He held onto the table for support, how many shots had he done?

"Exactly, if you had been, then maybe you would have contacted me. But I understand now, I was clearly wrong about your intentions-" She rambled on, gathering her wand and several papers she had brought with her to dinner.

"My intentions?" He breathed, feeling the room spin slightly.

"Yes," She snapped. "I see now it was just for your own amusement, or comfort or whatever-" Before she could complete her sentence, he had vanished the table between them.

Ron fell with a crash to the floor, continuing to snore on. He grabbed her by the arm before she could protest, pulling her out of the room with him and up three flights of stairs. She hissed and smacked at him the entire way, but he refused to lessen his grip.

It was only when they reached the upstairs corridor, that he slammed her up against the wall and pierced her with his heated, intense eyes. She glared back at him with what looked like genuine hurt.

"Do you have any idea," He breathed, as his hands ran down her arms, grasping her fingers tightly in his. "How much you have tormented me these last three months?" She gasped at his confession. "I cannot sleep or think or form any sort of coherent opinion, with the thought of _you_ constantly imbedded in my brain. You are driving me absolutely mad. I've dreamt of nothing but you… your taste, your touch." He growled, he was absolutely furious. He felt her hands ever so slowly slide up his arms in wonder.

"After that night, I had no idea how you…." She whispered, letting her words trail off into the darkness.

"Feel me now, Granger?" He insisted, pressing his body up against hers, as his hand grasped her by the back of the neck, the other snaking around her waist. "Do you know what I wanted to do to Fred Weasley in that kitchen just now? I wanted to rip his heart out and make it burst into flames." His voice was a wicked caress, and she closed her eyes, struck dumb by the power his strong arms and vicious words had over her.

"We're just friends." She breathed, feeling his lips descend to her neck, his hot mouth making her wet between the thighs.

"Don't lie to me." He snarled, tightening his grip on her.

"You can't just come in here and demand things." She argued, feeling her temper rise.

"Can't I?" He threatened, and then he lost all self-control.

The instinct to possess her was overwhelming. He _needed_ her to remember how much she had wanted him, how deep their connection had gone. He knew his sober self was going to kick his ass in the morning for this ridiculous behavior, but there was just something about this witch that he couldn't get enough of.

He lifted her face slowly to his, forcing her to look into his eyes and see that his 'drunken' self, was not playing games. It was 'sober' Malfoy that she needed to worry about, who was still unable to wrap his head around these feelings. Ugh. He hated that word. _Feelings._

And then he was kissing her deeply, and for once, she didn't fight him. He coaxed her plump, divinely soft lips apart and began to explore her mouth with his own.

And when she boldly returned his amorous intentions, the very small amounts of self-control he possessed, snapped. He couldn't stop touching her, couldn't get close enough to her skin, he wanted her naked and underneath him, or on top of him or…his mind raced with the possibilities. He whispered shockingly sinful things in her ear that he was going to do to her, and Hermione could do nothing but chant _yes yes yes_ , over and over again in her head while he devoured her.

He pulled back only to reach for her sweater and yank it over her head in haste, tossing it to the floor. She had already decided she must thoroughly inspect his scars from the Sectumsempra curse, and her fingers reached for his chest.

And then they heard footsteps. She let go of him immediately. He could see the haze slightly clearing from her head, as he looked down at her swollen lips with his lust filled eyes.

Hermione could barely breathe.

The sound was getting closer.

Draco felt a slight panic entering his veins. He was completely disorientated and had forgotten which direction his room was in. He looked around anxiously for an escape. Granger was already on the move, slipping down the hallway and out of sight. He stared after her in shock, but before he could contemplate how the witch had once again slipped right from his grasp, Snape appeared around the corner, holding a candelabra and wearing a sleeping gown. Draco was so drunk that he laughed. The old bat raised an eyebrow with disdain, coming a bit closer to inspect him.

"You are aware...that my bedroom is di…rect…ly on the other side of this wall?" His voice was low and sleep deprived.

Draco shook his head, trying to find a coherent thought. His heart was racing from Granger's kiss. "Your room, Draco, is to the left…" He drawled as if he were speaking to a small child.

"Right." He breathed. "Well, I'll just be off to bed then." He stumbled slightly, only then realizing that his black button down was almost open to his navel. His skin was feverish and flushed. He could still feel her fingertips grazing his flesh. Snape's gave him a scathing look, before turning on his heel and heading down the hall. Not before his sinister voice floated back to Draco.

"And I suggest you return Miss. Granger's sweater to her at a more… _convenient_ time." He was gone.

Draco looked down at the sweater she had left behind. He reached for it, bringing it up to his face. He breathed her in. The scent of her might actually give him reprieve from his nightmares, then again, her lips would be haunting him for days.

Draco made his way to his room, thinking vaguely of admitting the fact that he was not going to be able stop. Hermione Granger was his.

 **N/A: Nope, after writing this, I've decided against Fred development. As a reviewer pointed out, it would give tons of more stress to the situation, not that I don't LOVE stressing you guys out, but I feel like this story is really going to focus more on the slow burn of DM/HG's already complicated relationship.**


	7. Chapter 6- The Fall

**Happy Weekend! Leave me some love :)**

 **M. x**

 _September_ :

Hermione could not believe the transformation that had occurred over the past month. She had so many doubts regarding Draco and Blaise on that first night at Headquarters, wondering if Dumbledore had actually lost his mind when he decided to take the two Slytherins on.

But she had been proven wrong. And usually, Hermione hated that more than anything in the world. However, she was pleasantly surprised with how things had gone, at least on an academic and professional level.

Both men, but especially Draco, had excelled at combat training. He had gained back the weight he'd lost last year, and his body was once again sculpted into hard, lean muscle. Hermione tried not to stare at him every time the four of them were dueling. (It was usually her and Malfoy partnered together, as were Luna and Blaise) He had the awful habit of removing his shirt when their practice sessions got unbearably intense. Neither of them would back down, and sometimes their battles would go on for almost an hour before Snape would intervene.

They were evenly matched at this point, for she had knocked him on his ass as many times as he returned the favor. She was convinced she only _ever_ lost, when he removed his shirt. The sweat sliding down his flawless skin, peppered with scars, made her want to do awful, horribly sinful things.

And it was even more shocking to see him excel at his studies. He was like a sponge when he put his mind to a task; she couldn't help but be impressed with how ridiculously smart he was. She found that quality to be highly attractive, it only made sense that he was so ambitious.

Snape also seemed to find it amusing to pair them up in the classroom as well; which led to heated debates and a few arguments that had resulted in exploding cauldrons and chaotic messes.

But it didn't matter, they were both acing everything he threw at them, and Hermione was sure that having an adequate brain to compete with, was forcing her to surpass her normal academic standards. So in these areas of life, things were going extremely well.

On the other hand, she had received very little news from her best friends, who she missed terribly. Harry had only contacted her once, about a week ago, letting her know that they had found the real Horcrux and a means to destroy it.

And this afternoon, she was surprised to receive a letter from Ginny instead of Ron, who briefly filled her in; things at Hogwarts were not stable at all. Not only had Death Eater's been replaced as professors, but they were using torture as a form of punishment. Not one Muggleborn student or teacher had returned. She went on to say they were getting the DA back together, and there were obviously some professors who were also in the resistance, but that they also had much bigger problems. She was extremely furious with Ron. He had left the castle a few nights ago, his short letter stating that he was going to find Harry.

This news had sent Hermione into a complete meltdown. She had appealed to Snape, but he had just scowled at her and informed her that Dumbledore was aware of everything that was going on. She held her tongue, but she was becoming more concerned by the day.

Albus had basically abandoned his students to go on some hunt with Harry. She understood the importance of destroying the Horcruxes, but she still couldn't believe he hadn't seen this horrific news coming. And now Ron was out there on his own, protected by his blood-status…but now that he had fled from school? Was that considered a death sentence these days? Hermione felt every inch of her gut telling her to storm the castle and save all the innocent kids who should never have to experience Hogwarts the way it was being run now.

She spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening, training by herself. She had skipped dinner and the mandatory meeting afterwards, as she poured all her frustration and anger out on the boggart she had captured in the upstairs attic. She hit it with spell after spell, thinking of all the lives in jeopardy, all the rights being taken away from innocent people. She worked until she could no longer feel her wand arm. With a final burst of energy, and a cry that sounded much like a call for war, she flung a final spell into the boggart, which had now become Bellatrix Lestrange. It burst into thousands of explosive sparks of magic. Hermione felt herself fall back against the wall, wiping the sweat from her brow. She let her legs give out, as she slid down to the floor. Someone started clapping.

Hermione looked up in shock. Malfoy was leaning against the doorway to the practice room, watching her with sharp intelligence and slight wariness.

She could not tell what sort of mood he was in. As if it mattered. He swung so frequently in opposing directions that Hermione had given up on trying to make rational sense of his emotions. Their personal relationship, if possible, had become even more complex.

Following their little tryst in the upstairs hall, Hermione had spent the entire night awake, panicking. Now that they were going to be forced to live together, everything would change. She was terrified of what was held in store for her, where Draco Malfoy was concerned. Yes, she wanted him, _physically_ , and clearly he was pursuing her for the same need.

Once he had realized that she was a person, and not just a blood status, he started to view her as a new, shiny object. That was all. One he hadn't had before. She knew that men always found the chase more interesting than the catch…well maybe not Viktor, but in general, she was sure someone had told her that fact.

And so she worried relentlessly while weighing the pros and cons. If she gave herself to him willingly, what if she liked it? What if she wanted more?

And he stated specifically back in that Greenhouse last February, that he had only ever wanted one night. She could do it. Just one night, and then there wouldn't be all of this sickening tension every time she looked at him.

Her main concern was the power he would have over her if she did, in fact, enjoy going to bed with him. What if she started to feel things? Who was she kidding? She had been feeling things for him much longer than she cared to admit. Though her sleepless night had been futile, because once dawn broke and sober Malfoy had emerged from his chambers, it was clear to her that he was once again as distant and removed as he was during their first night of detention.

He had shut her out with his eyes and had thrown himself, literally head first into work and school. They had absolutely little, to no free time. And so Hermione tried her hardest to force her thoughts away from the now, much more desirable Malfoy.

Their relationship had shifted into unknown territory. She knew that he viewed her as a competent and challenging partner and she found herself finally learning to relax around him. Their complete focus remained on their given tasks for the Order and Snape. It was comfortable, almost.

Though Zabini loved making normal situations highly awkward with his innuendos and hints. Luna had unknowingly become his partner in crime when it came to humiliating her and Malfoy. Whenever Blaise would say something slightly suggestive, it would provoke Luna, who would capitalize on his comment and bluntly state the truth that she very clearly saw. One of her frequently reoccurring statements was that Hermione and Draco would have lovely children together.

Draco usually retorted with an insult directed at either Lovegood or Zabini, and Hermione noticed more and more how he would come to her defense even with small inconsequential things. Like last week, when Snape had purposely distracted her and then tried to blame her for a mistake. Draco had harshly informed Severus that it was his _own_ fault, 'Granger doesn't make stupid mistakes', were his exact words. Malfoy wasn't just learning to accept her, but he actually respected her as well. Hermione had thought about him in the shower that night.

So maybe it was true for women, as it was men. Malfoy had stopped chasing her, and now she was considering playing catch.

She pulled herself from her thoughts and back to the present, as he sauntered into the dimly lit practice room. When the light from the full moon fell upon his face, she caught her breath in her throat. He was so tragically handsome.

"Well done." His voice was low and gave nothing way.

"Thanks." She responded in hushed tones. He dropped elegantly down next to her on the floor. This was the first time they had been alone since the night he'd arrived. Hermione turned her head to stare curiously at him. He had a far away look in his eyes, but at least he was sober.

"What's up?" She hedged carefully, not wanting to snap him out of his clearly contemplative mood.

"I've been thinking…" He muttered, running a hand through his hair with nervous energy.

"Yes?" She inquired, disgustingly curious.

"I feel like we're not doing enough." He snarled suddenly, frustration evident in his tone.

"I completely agree." She huffed with annoyance. He looked at her then, his eyebrow sliding up in surprise.

"You do?" He asked suspiciously.

"Of course." She snapped, feeling her own frustrations bubble to the surface. "How can I enjoy learning when there are children being tortured at Hogwarts? How can I sleep knowing that there are thousands of people out there who want Muggles, who want _me_ , dead?" He continued to stare at her, watching her with intensity.

"Let's do something about it." He replied.

"What _can_ we do?" She asked desperately, feeling the weight of the world crush down on her shoulders. "What can we _possibly_ do?"

She fought back tears she knew were threatening to spill. She felt Malfoy carefully shift closer to her, and then his hand was covering hers. He was ice cold, as always, but his touch still gave her comfort. Against her will, she admitted that to a small part of her brain.

"I know how you're feeling." He whispered. "Last year, I was powerless. No matter what I did, it didn't matter. I was going to fail. Was set up to fail." She remained silent, listening to his harsh voice. She never wanted him to stop talking; he was finally opening up to her, like she was a…friend. "You were the one who told me that I was better. That everything was going to be okay, and we would find a way. And you did. Look at me now, Granger." He finished with arrogant determination. Catching her face with his fingers, he turned her head to look at him. She almost smiled.

"I'm really proud of you." She heard herself whisper. She almost gasped at how warm his eyes turned, at her words of praise.

"Don't say that." He admonished softly. She looked at him with a frown, not understanding. "It makes me want to…" His voice trailed off, as his hand slid from her face and slowly down her neck to rest against her pulse. His eyes flickered to her lips.

Hermione felt the temperature in the room rise several degrees as his hand moved steadily lower. His talented fingers were following a trail from her collarbone, to the valley between her breasts. She felt her breath hitch as he moved closer to her. "I've been trying, Granger, so hard." She heard the unrestrained need in his voice. "Why are you so impossible?" He murmured.

"Impossible? I'm just highly logical and-" His lips cut her off, and she moaned into his mouth. An aching desire ignited in her limbs, setting her skin on fire. She had missed this intoxicating passion. She reached for him, just as the door slammed open with a massive BANG.

They jumped apart, but Malfoy refused to lessen his grip on her, as he turned with sudden fury.

Severus came striding into the room and stopped dead, staring at them with an unfathomable emptiness. Hermione jumped to her feet quickly, as Draco slowly followed, adjusting himself as he stood.

Hermione could feel the blush attacking her face savagely. She cleared her throat, ready to improvise a possible explanation. But when she looked up into Snape's eyes, she stopped dead. Something was horribly wrong. She felt herself reach out and grab Draco's hand instinctively, she could feel him return her grip as he tensed, ready for the fall out.

"Dumbledore is dead." Snape turned on his heel, and strode from the room.

Silence reigned. Hermione was sure that it would go on forever, as they both stood there, processing this wretched news. She distantly heard Draco calling her name, but she was lost. Her grief and terror exploded all at once, like an atom bomb, as she ripped her hand from his and took off. Malfoy watched her go, an incredible feeling of horror incasing his soul. An insurmountable sense of hope, had gone from the world.

 _October_

It was as if Granger had become a completely different person.

She spent the weeks following Dumbledore's death, ransacking Grimmauld place; cleaning and de-cluttering, as if her life depended on it. She had even forced Kreacher to take a bath.

Hermione and the elf were now on speaking terms, after one hell of a showdown on a rainy afternoon in the Drawing Room. Kreacher had been lurking and muttering around Hermione's knees as she tore down tapestries and removed what seemed like centuries of dirt and grime from the old home.

The more she cleaned, the more irate and belligerent the elf became. Until finally, Granger had snapped, absolutely losing her mind, telling him if he really wanted her gone then she would go. And she had tossed a few of the Black Family's greatest treasures at his feet in defeat before bursting into tears.

But this gesture had a remarkable affect on Kreacher. He looked at Hermione with his huge eyes before promptly also beginning to cry with horrific volume. He had thrown himself on the ground, worshipping at her feet, begging for forgiveness. Hermione was completely overwhelmed and floored by his change in attitude. The two of them together sounded worse than an orchestra at a Death Day Party.

Draco had just happened to be walking down the hall at around the time this miracle occurred. He had calmly explained to her, after he ordered Kreacher to shut up his wailing and go make tea, that Hermione offering Kreacher his families old crap, had given her his undying loyalty.

It was the first time he had seen her smile in what felt like centuries.

The news of Dumbledore's death affected them all, but Hermione especially. She had seemed to get it into her head, now that The Greatest Wizard Who Ever Lived was gone, Hogwarts would never be repaired. That life itself could not go on. He admitted that losing the old man was a huge stab at the morale of the resistance, but was also infinitely thankful Dumbledore had not died by his hand.

Hermione's gloom followed her around the house, absorbing into the walls and raining down on the rest of them. Snape had even tried to 'console' her, one late night in the dim of the downstairs kitchen (Draco knew she barely slept these days).

Severus had informed her that Dumbledore had been dying for the better part of a year, due to his injury from a curse that he had exposed himself to in order to destroy a part of Voldemort's soul. That seemed to infuriate her more.

"Then why didn't he make arrangements for the students?" She railed. He had left them, all of them, except Harry of course, defenseless.

"What am I supposed to do, Snape!?" She cried deliriously. Draco had been eavesdropping on her every conversation as of late. He pressed his back up against the downstairs hall and listened hard.

"You are to stay here and continue on with your studies, continue to train." He hissed back with immense disapproval.

"But that's not enough! People are disappearing, dying! Muggleborns are being stripped of their magic and thrown into Azkaban! How can you just expect me to sit in this stupid house and wait until they come for me!? What is _wrong_ with you?" Draco knew she had been keeping all of her emotions bottled up inside. He knew it was only a matter of time before she got through her grief and turned to a state of anger. He was exceptionally familiar with the pattern.

"Miss Granger-" Snape tried, clearly unequipped to deal with an emotional display from such a usually grounded female. Draco jumped as the sound of shattering glass sliced through the air. Hermione Granger had apparently come to the end of her rope.

"I have to get out of here or I am going to go absolutely insane, do you understand? I have to go." Her desperation was so evident. Draco wished she would use him for release, instead of inanimate objects she decided to fling at the walls.

"And just where am I supposed to send you?" Was Snape's sarcastic reply.

"To Hogwarts." She didn't even miss a beat.

"And ruin your reputation for being The Smartest Witch of the Age? What happens once you get there?" There was a pause. Draco could hear her brain working a million miles a minute.

"We take it back. We take the school back." She sounded fierce, determined. He felt himself grow aroused at her confident tone.

"We?" Snape sneered. "You and what army, Miss Granger?" She was silent for several moments, and then she spoke. Her voice was too low for Draco to distinguish what she was saying. But whatever it was, caused Snape to laugh in disbelief.

"You're not serious." He scoffed.

"He's ready." She bit back.

"I am not sending you two hot-headed, arrogant fools into some death trap. Was this Malfoy's plan?" Draco felt his jaw drop open in shock. She wanted him to go with her? He felt some weird pull in his gut. She knew he would have her back.

"No Sir, it was mine." She stated, he imagined the beautiful blush covering her chest and neck.

"And he's agreed to this." Severus was not sounding convinced.

"He will." She answered instantly. Draco didn't know whether to feel annoyed that she had spoken for him, or elated by the fact that she thought he was worthy to fight along side her.

"You sound quite sure. What makes you think he is willing to risk his neck for your life or anyone else's?" Draco had asked himself that question many times over. His answer seemed to change minute to minute.

Some days he wanted to be better, he wanted a chance at _deserving_ her. He knew if he moved too quickly, made one wrong move or said one horrible thing, then that would be the end of it. And it couldn't end. Not without him having his way with her at least once. That was what he had convinced himself. Other days, he just wanted to watch Lucius Malfoy die. Hermione's voice pulled him back from his dark thoughts.

"He owes me one." Came her swift reply.

"Indeed. Miss Granger, we are done here." Snape had stood up suddenly. Draco backed away from the door, hiding himself amongst the shadows of the long corridor.

"You can't keep me a prisoner here!" She raged, her chair falling to the floor in her eagerness to unleash her fury at Snape.

"Enough."

Draco had quickly made his way back up the stairs, not wanting to be discovered by the temperamental duo.

He snaked quietly back through the house, thinking hard about how they could get the hell out of here and get some shit done. He, like Granger, was restless and ready for action. The longer they were confined to these four walls, the faster time seemed to speed up. Something must be done.

He lay on his bed listening to Granger storm up the stairs and slam several doors. He sighed, his palms twitching. He had promised himself that he would try his damnest to stay away from her. And he had almost succeeded.

He had awoken with a killer headache after that first night at Headquarters, and had realized he could not use Granger as a crutch anymore. He needed to put some space between them and figure this shit out on his own. That was the only way he was going to be able to redeem himself, in everyone's eyes. _Especially hers_ , his conscience whispered.

Honestly, it had been easier than he thought it would be to act normal around her. She wasn't like other girls, who would be sulky and pouting over the fact that he had shown them attention and then changed his mind.

Granger seemed more relieved than anything, when he did not make another move. And that annoyed him to the extreme. Even after they shared a heated, though much too quick embrace the night news of Dumbledore's death came, she had returned to acting perfectly civil. Well, as civil as their relationship permitted for.

Draco was wary of the situation. She did not expect anything from him, more importantly, she was now relaxed around him…so he was okay with letting the cards fall where they may, for now.

He wanted her to come him because she wanted to, not because he had forced some seduction on her that she would be able to hold over his head later down the road. Though he continued to lust for her more than a healthy amount. Especially since she clearly didn't seem to need his attention or even crave it. Maybe she just hid it better than him.

He ran his hand down his bare chest, feeling the scars she had given him.

All last year, Granger had been the one who continued to try and take away his pain. She had not given up on him, once. She was a thousand percent right, he _did_ owe her one. And now that he viewed her as an equal, as a partner, as a…friend…his heart was beginning to feel as if it were being rubbed raw with each passing moment.

It was dangerous, too dangerous. But when had Draco Malfoy ever turned away from a reckless decision? He lay back, reaching into his briefs, his fingers grasping his hard cock. He had no choice but to relieve himself of the wicked torture that witch wrought on his body. He'd find a way to break them out of here, yet.

The following morning presented Draco with an entirely new version of Hermione Granger. She was bright eyed and looked much like she had back at Hogwart's during exam week. He fought the smirk that threatened to unleash across his face. He wasn't sure what she was up to, but the determination in her eyes told him that she had, at least, formed some sort of plan. He had a strong inclination to believe this conversation was going to be a repeat of her thoughts to Snape last night. He was not disappointed.

"So," She began, her face alight with ideas. She had invited him to enjoy breakfast with her in the Drawing Room and it was barely seven am. He kept telling himself, the only reason he had shown up and deprived himself of sleep, was because of his perpetual boredom with Grimmauld Place. Yes, it wasn't so he could spend a few moments with her alone, trying to undress her with his eyes. "I've been thinking."

"Shocking." He drawled, thankfully reaching for a mug of hot tea she had placed in front of him. "Can you please explain to me why the bloody hell breakfast had to be served at the crack of dawn?"

"My best ideas come in the morning, when my thoughts are fresh. Besides, I have tons of work to do." He raised his eyes in interest, as he bit into a scone. It was simply delicious; Kreacher's cooking had gone from vile slop to something he would taste at the finest of restaurants in Paris. No wonder the family kept the mad little elf around.

"So what are you proposing?" He asked, as she raised her eyebrow at the small groan that escaped his lips as he bit into the buttery treat. Hermione felt her brain go suddenly blank; her body nearly quaked with desire. How was he able to unravel her thoughts so fast, and with a scone? Hermione shook her head in annoyance.

"We plan a break out." She snapped, more forceful than necessary. He gave her a sharp look.

"From Headquarters?" She nodded, biting her lip in anticipation, as she reached for her tea. Draco forced himself to look away from her mouth. Dammit Granger. "And where, would you like to go?" His intense voice whispered.

She looked at him sternly, before taking a deep breath and narrowing her eyes.

"Why did you come over to our side?" Well that was out of left field. He frowned at her swift change in subject. He was silent for a moment, then.

"I didn't want to die. I didn't want anyone else to die either. Even my father." He looked lost for a moment, before once again collecting his thoughts. His face darkened suddenly with anger. "But now, I want to destroy them all. More than anything. I want to tear them apart. For what they did to my mother, to me…to you." He finished, glancing at the slight scar on her head, where some masked fucker had hit her last May. His fault, again.

"And what is it that you believe in now? What I mean to say is, what are you fighting for?" Her gaze was unnerving, it was because she was so open and giving. And here he was, trying to throw some convoluted answers together for her little interrogation while he was still trying figure out who he was and what he wanted to be. He had his entire life mapped out for him and all the privilege he could ever need. But he had thrown it away; instinct and those amber eyes had stripped him of everything. He had nothing now, nothing but questions.

"Hell Granger, that's a bit heavy for this time of the morning, no?" He asked, feeling his head spin. Was she ever going to stop making him question his existence?

"Answer the question." She prompted him.

"I don't know! I know what I _don't_ believe in. And you know what that is?" Draco could feel his temper rising at her insistence. Why was she deliberately provoking him?

"No, what?" Her eyes were narrowing with her own irritation.

"Nosey witches not minding their own business." He snapped.

"Since when?" She scoffed.

"Granger. I really don't want to get into this right now." He was beginning to feel as if the walls were closing in on him.

"But you don't understand, I need to know." She leaned over in that moment, grasping for his hand. He felt his anger evaporate immediately at her touch.

"Why?" He breathed.

"Because that will determine if I allow you to come with me on this mission." He raised his eyebrows at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes flashing. She was so glorious when she was riled up.

"What mission?" He played dumb, waiting to see if she truly trusted him enough to ask.

"I'll tell you once you've answered my questions." She always had an answer for everything.

"I don't know what I believe in. I'm fighting for my life. Happy?" She was clearly _not_ amused by his flippant reply. She frowned at him for several moments, took another huge sip of her tea, and then lowered her gaze. He noticed she was suddenly nervous. He only had to wait a moment to find out why.

"Do you still think of me as a Mudblood?" Her voice was so soft, yet so full of strength, that he was momentarily shocked speechless.

Hell, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind in what felt like years. He had been so involved with not getting killed and failing his mission and then getting his mother back to health and taking Dumbledore's offer, he had simply forgotten…she was one of them.

A woman who he had been raised to believe was inferior to him, who was not worth his time. What utter garbage. What sick bullshit. He was suddenly scowling, absolutely furious at himself. Hermione glanced up and was alarmed by the look she saw on his face. She instinctually moved away.

"Look at me." His voice left no room for discussion. "Don't call yourself that. Ever." He was trembling slightly as he reached for his tea again. How many times had he made her feel like she was nothing, all because he had been a spoiled, ignorant little shit? He hated the guilt that came back to him every time he could remember calling her that filthy word. Had she cried? Probably not. Had she wished him death? He sure hoped so.

"What is it you want?" She whispered softly, her concerned gaze now fixated on his torn features. "Ultimately." She added, cursing herself for how fanciful her question sounded.

"I want, all of this insanity to be over. I want my father and Voldemort dead." He whispered rather savagely. She regretted him falling into this dark mood. She was only trying to have him find some enlightenment.

"You don't mean that." She whispered.

"Don't I? Wait and see." He promised, standing suddenly.

"So this is all about revenge for you, then?" She sounded extremely disappointed. Draco felt his heart clench at her despondency. He wanted to make her smile, not cry. Wait. He did?

"Do you have a better reason to fight?" He snapped, turning away from her and running his hands through his hair.

"Of course I do!" She jumped to her feet, following him as he paced around the room.

"Of course she does." He muttered, distracted. She was frying his brain.

"And you do too." He felt her hand on his back. He stopped suddenly. The only sound in the room was their breathing and the ticking of a clock.

"What is that?" He asked, after a long pause.

"Hope. For a future." She stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the entire Universe. He spun on her, feelings of distress ripping through him.

"What future are you referring to Granger? I'll always be a Malfoy. Nothing can change that." No matter what he did, he would always be known as Lucius' son, a failed Death Eater. Hermione backed up a step, but her eyes remained determined.

"Then at least think about your children. Do you want them to end up like you?"

"Fuck no." He spat. So he wanted children, well that was interesting. "Look, Herm-Granger, let's get back to the mission." He was beyond irritated. The way she was looking at him, as if she were figuring all sorts of interesting details out that he did not want to discuss. She was always getting _just_ under his skin. How did she do it?

"I'd just like you to consider my words. Really think. Think about what you are doing and how much of an affect you can have. The fact that you are a Malfoy means nothing; you don't have to change that. But you do have to accept responsibility and understand that if you fight for the wrong reasons, selfish reasons, then that is truly no fight at all. It is a slaughter. And it will destroy you." She was very calm as she said these words, and by Merlin, he believed her. Every word of it.

If he was going to _truly_ break his father, wouldn't it be so much better to let him live so he could watch Draco 'destory' his legacy? Let Lucius rot in prison where he belonged, as he spent the family money on giving back and rebuilding the Malfoy name…. He let himself explore that fantasy for a moment, and then suddenly a memory was triggered in his brain.

It was of Blaise saying something along the lines of "I'd do it just to see your father's reaction." Instead of feeling fury, Draco felt satisfaction. Blaise had been right, just as Granger had been; his father was a piece of shit. He wouldn't become like his father, he'd do whatever it would take to stay in the light. And for a brief moment, he saw Granger and him together. Truly together, in his mind they were at peace and….in love?

Draco shook his head in horror. He thought back to his thoughts of love the night he almost lost his mind. He had been delusional, dying to get out of the Room of Requirement. Love didn't fucking exist. What the hell was he going on about? He realized that the second Lucius escaped Azkaban and chose Voldemort's hell over his mother. If a marriage as long as his parent's couldn't survive, what chance did he have making it with Granger? After all, he was still Lucius' son. He nodded to her once.

"You're right." He whispered. "Look Granger, about this plan. Maybe another time, alright?"

She nodded her head in understanding; she had just crossed the line into giving him too much to think about. Which was good, he needed to talk about these things, get them off of his chest so that he could free himself from the guilt. She knew it was a slow process, and he had been burying it while he focused on the resistance. She hadn't realized how much of it had been fueled by revenge. But she knew there was more to it than that, she knew that on some level, it had been she, who had forced him to see the light.

She'd give him three days to brood and then ask him her questions again.

And _that_ was how the cards would lay. In the meantime, Hermione had plenty of planning and plotting to do. She wished the boys were here so that she could spring all her ideas off them. She was praying to the Universe that Ron had caught up with Harry by now, but she knew that was not as likely as she hoped it to be.

She turned her thoughts back to her escape plan from Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Yes, everything was right on schedule. She didn't even have to waste time filling Malfoy in about the mission, seeing as he was spying on her every chance he got. She rolled her eyes and felt her face slide up into a smirk any Slytherin would be proud of. _It was almost time._

 **Some twists and turns coming up… Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 7- November Gloom

**A little fun for your Monday.**

 **M. x**

Damn Severus Snape. Damn him to hell.

Hermione was simply out of ideas. There was nothing, and she meant _nothing_ , the Potion's Master would not do to thwart her plans. That had included, but was not limited to, drugging her tea, performing Occlumency on her, slipping her Veritaserum, and creating traps and jinxes that wouldn't even allow her to step out the front door.

Draco had jumped on board with her plan not 48 hours after their discussion in the drawing room and since then, the two had combined their reasonably, high-powered brains to come up with a way to break out of Headquarters and into Hogwarts.

But it was near impossible to think. Snape was onto them from the get go, and so he had kept them as busy as humanly possible. By the time he retired each evening and they were able to talk privately, both Hermione and Draco were completely drained.

So they had press-ganged Blaise and Luna into joining their cause. But all that did was infuriate Snape further, and his efforts redoubled in smashing their own little rebellion.

They were no match for him. And for whatever reason, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black seemed to be siding with Snape. Hermione had even been desperate enough to ask Kreacher for assistance, but the elf was insistent that Mistress Hermione must stay put, for if not, she would be in grave danger. Hermione knew better than to push him, she remembered the lengths Dobby had gone to keep Harry alive.

The final straw had been Snape happily announcing yesterday morning, that anyone who left the house would immediately destroy all protection spells placed on Headquarters. Meaning, he had hissed, his eyes boring into Hermione's, that whoever left would be directly responsible for anyone who stayed behind and died. He knew her weakness; she would not risk their lives. Her own? No problem.

So Hermione started from scratch, she would find a way.

Sleet and rain had pounded the windows of Grimmauld Place relentlessly. The last three weeks had seemed to be nothing but grey skies and gloom. Though a fire was brewing beneath the roof of their dysfunctional home.

Draco was unable to sleep on one particularly stormy night, and had gone downstairs only to find a bit of whiskey. He was half way down the stairs, when he heard a soft thumping noise coming from the library. He frowned; taking a detour to find out who else was awake at this disgustingly late hour.

He pushed open the door ever so slightly, to find Luna Lovegood straddled across Blaise's lap, in nothing but her knickers. His best friend was stark naked. They were heavily snogging and clearly too immersed in one another to even hear the door slightly creak.

Draco backed out quickly, running his hands over his face in astonishment. What the bloody hell was going on? He practically ran for the kitchen, he was going to need more than a bit of whiskey to burn that image from his mind.

He slammed the door open, his jaw still hanging open in shock.

"Draco?" He looked around in wonder. Granger was sitting at the end of the table next to the dying fire. She was wrapped snuggly in a blanket, and in front of her was a mug of tea and a book.

Draco felt his heart catch, something about her presence made him forget to breathe. He shook his head several times, before turning to the kitchen cabinets to search frantically for a drink. She would have normally panicked at his urgency, but he looked so helplessly frazzled that she couldn't help but laugh.

"What's up, Malfoy? You look as if you've seen a ghost." She commented lightly.

"What?" He frowned, what sort of look was that?

"Never mind." She rolled her eyes, forgetting he knew nothing about Muggles. "What's got you shook?"

"You won't believe what I just saw." He hissed, pouring himself a healthy dose of whiskey and sucking it down in one shot. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Must have been pretty terrifying."

"It was." He confirmed, pouring another shot. He offered the bottle to her but she shook her head. She didn't need to make herself anymore wanton than she already felt, staring at him right now. He was only wearing a pair of silk black, pajama pants.

"I just caught Lovegood and Zabini going at it in the library." He dropped down into the seat across from her, waiting to gauge her reaction.

Hermione simply smiled and then returned to her book. Draco stared at her in shock.

"You knew?" He hissed with astonishment.

"Well I didn't witness them shagging but, yes, I figured as much." She responded with a slight blush.

"How?" He insisted. She looked up from her book, with a smirk.

"I've just been watching them together. And I could see that things have changed. Little things. Things that males don't usually pick up on." She was looking rather smug. He wanted to reach across the table and kiss her senseless.

"For how long?" He demanded.

"A couple of weeks now, at least." Draco let out a low whistle.

"That bloody bastard."

"I think it's rather nice." She huffed.

"Do you?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes." She snapped.

"Well at least someone is getting off around here." Hermione narrowed her eyes with distaste.

"Well that's because they actually care about each other, I assume." How was he able to infuriate her within two minutes of conversation?

"That's your problem Granger, you're always assuming." He drawled, watching her as he took another generous gulp of the amber liquid.

"Oh? And what is it that _you_ do, Malfoy?" She leaned forward, slapping her hands down on the table.

"I act." His eyes had turned dark and smoldering. He was looking at her as if she were a particularly fresh piece of meat.

"Yes, you most certainly do." She replied loftily, though her heart was beginning to pick up pace.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Has anyone ever told you how dramatic you are?" He huffed, sitting back in his seat and pouting.

"Whatever, Granger."

"Yes, Malfoy, _whatever_."

He took another shot and she forced her gaze back to her book. They sat like that for several moments, in silence. But apparently Malfoy was in a talkative mood tonight.

"Have you come up with a new plan yet?" He insisted, with an irritable tone to his voice.

"Have you?" She shot back, not bothering to look up at him.

"Maybe we should try to talk to Snape again, rationally." He emphasized, reminding her of her little tantrum.

"Since when are you _ever_ rational?" She scoffed with derision.

"Fuck, Granger! At least I'm trying." That got her attention. Her eyes snapped to his and they were filled with fury. She slammed her book shut before picking it up and shoving the front cover into his face.

"Do you know what this is?" She hissed. Draco tried to read the letters, but she had pushed the damn book so close to his nose that he was seeing triple. He thrust it back towards her with annoyance.

"Go ahead, princess, let's hear the lecture." She fumed at his arrogance.

"This book is the diary of Sirius Black's great, great grandfather. He was the one who had this place built. If there is another means of escape from Grimmauld Place, I guarantee that it is in these pages. He was a very secretive man and this diary was extremely well protected and hidden." She announced, her voice turning professional and filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"And just how did you get your hands on such an object?" Hermione looked guilty at his question, but forced herself to maintain eye contact.

"I might have told Kreacher that I _must_ get a look at the family records. I told him I was interested in being adopted into the family. And wanted to go about finding out how I might do so." She finished, trying to keep a straight face.

"Wow, Granger. Mental torture, that is. Wonder what spew would have to say about that. " He was smirking at her deviously. But she could see he was impressed with her means to an end.

"S.P.E.W." She corrected him with a snap. He was full out grinning at her now. She felt her face soften, it was so rare that he let his guard down and let her see the real Draco underneath. They stared at one another. Malfoy cleared his throat uncomfortably and reached for his drink.

"So, what have you found?" He asked, sounding back in control.

"Well if you would let me get back to my work..." She indicated towards the book. He huffed in annoyance, but fell silent once again.

Draco let his mind wander as he watched her. If Zabini could make it work with someone as irritating and insane as Lovegood, then why didn't they have a shot? His thoughts were too erratic these days. There were moments, when Granger felt like the only thing that was real in his world.

As everything around them seemed to be falling apart, her passion, intelligence and drive kept him going. Had too much time passed? Would she reject him, now that he had pushed her away? He wasn't quite willing to take that chance, not yet. And he didn't have any competition at the moment, so it wasn't as if someone else was going to come down and scoop her up… _coward_ , he thought to himself.

And speaking of rivals…

"Have you heard from Potter?" The words slipped past his lips unwillingly. She looked up again.

"Yes. I got a letter from Harry two nights ago." She was looking at him with mild interest.

"And?" He pushed.

"And him and Ron are together." She looked relieved and furious at the same time.

"Where?" He questioned. Her habit of giving him just the bare minimum of information drove him insane. He was positive she did it on purpose, just to annoy him.

"I'm not sure, they really couldn't say. Just that, the Horcrux is gone and they were following another lead." She sounded miserable. It made Draco unreasonably angry.

"You wish you were out there risking your life with them." It wasn't a question. She frowned at him.

"Of course I do. Everything we've been through, after years of near death experiences and adventures and now….they've just…" Abandoned me, she thought in her head. It made her sad and envious of their freedom and companionship. They were together and she was stuck here with Snape and Malfoy. It was as if he read her mind.

"Sorry the present company is seemingly inadequate." He hissed. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Don't start Malfoy, it has nothing to do with that. And if you remember correctly, I was the one who asked you, to break out with me." She replied smartly, once again going back to her reading.

His sneer lessoned to be replaced with confident smugness.

"That's why they call you the Smartest Witch of Her Age."

"I profusely disagree. Ever since you walked into my life, I have lost mass amounts of rationality and logic." She muttered, not paying attention to what she was saying. Something had caught her eye while she read.

"Meaning?" Malfoy drawled smoothly, he leaned towards her, his eyes filled with intrigue. He wanted to distract her.

"Meaning," She went on, running her hand over the page in wonder. "You are driving me INSANE! THAT'S IT!" She jumped to her feet with exuberance, pulling her wand and aiming it at the page.

He watched while she silently performed some complex wand movements. The page began to glow. It sparked wildly before going out. Hermione dropped back into her seat, carefully reaching for the diary and bringing it up to her face. "Something's there." She whispered to herself.

Draco was watching her, torn between amusement and exasperation.

"What's there?"

"A spell. Looks homemade, possibly in Greek…no, what _is_ that?"

"I make you insane?" She looked up at him over the book, her expression confirmed the answer to his question. He smirked. She turned the book sideways, studying it for several minutes. She gasped, dropping it back onto the table as though it had bitten her.

"What?" Draco felt alarm ring through his body; she was looking disturbed.

"No, no, nope and nope." She shook her head, pushing the diary away from her as if it were a disgusting, slimy creature.

"Granger, what is it?"

"A completely unacceptable way for us to leave this hell hole. What is wrong with purebloods? Why are they such vile people?" She wondered out loud, not realizing the effect her words had on Draco. His face hardened at her blatant insult.

"Yes, an unredeemable sort, wouldn't you say?" He snapped, standing suddenly.

"Malfoy, I obviously didn't mean you-" She started, but he cut her off.

"I think you did." He growled. That said it all, didn't it? He wasn't good enough.

"I apologize." She insisted, attempting to catch his eyes.

"Save it." Hermione felt her temper flare at his cold dismissal.

"Feels awful, doesn't it? To be judged based on something as ridiculous as your blood?" He turned back to look at her, his face losing it's fury.

"How do we get out of here?" He snapped. She threw him a cold smile.

"Two options. One, we kill Snape." He felt his jaw almost drop at her words, but he held it together.

"Not completely unreasonable." He muttered nastily. She was so mad she almost hissed at him.

"Or Two. We get married, your relatives watch us have sex, and then we move out." Draco's jaw did drop open at that. He couldn't help it. She nodded at him as if he had proven her point.

"Exactly." She continued, glaring at the offending diary now lying between them on the table. "So since those two options are completely insane and out of the question, let's hear _your_ plan." She taunted sarcastically, throwing her hands up in surrender.

But Draco's mind was still stuck on the word sex. She was sitting there, looking delectable and furious. Her hands on tantalizing hips; he wanted to bury himself within her. He must have been staring at her with obvious desire, because she pulled the blanket tighter around her, covering herself from his burning eyes.

"Well?" She hissed.

"Granger, come here." He whispered softly. She immediately went on guard.

"I don't know what you're thinking Malfoy, but I don't like that look in your eye." She warned him, standing slowly and backing away from the table.

He followed her as she tried to make a quick escape. He was too fast. Before she had reached the kitchen door, he had disarmed her, tossed the blanket away and pinned her up against the wall, her wrists trapped by his hands.

"I thought you wanted to hear my plan." He hissed seductively, looking down at her and feeling his loins burn. She was only wearing a thin, white tank top and a pair of what looked like Bulgarian Quidditch boxers. He frowned with annoyance as he thought of her and Krum.

"They were a gift." She whispered with embarrassment. Draco rolled his eyes, did every flipping wizard in the world want her? He pressed his bare chest up against her, leaning down to tease her throat with kisses.

"Malfoy, we can't." She argued weakly, feeling her head spin.

"Why not?" He breathed back, as he adjusted his grip; holding both her small wrists with one hand. He let his free hand explore her body with an achingly slow seduction.

He touched every inch of her flesh, pinching her nipples through her top and running his hand underneath the thin cotton to rub her hips, her stomach…her perky breasts.

Hermione felt her mind go numb as his mouth finally found hers. He began to devour her with possessive need. He slid his fingers, ever so slowly, into the top of her boxers, reaching down to feel her wet heat. She moaned into his mouth as his grip on her wrists tightened. She pushed her body back against his half-naked, chiseled form, and he nearly came undone.

He teased her clit lightly, sliding his talented fingers back and forth against her already soaked pussy. She whimpered in need, feeling intense pressure building in her body. Malfoy pulled his lips away from hers, only to whisper in her ear.

"Tell me to stop, Granger. Tell me you don't want this." He purred, releasing his grip on her wrists. He dropped to his knees, lifting his hands to play along the hem of fabric, as he nibbled and kissed the tender flesh of her shaking thighs. She was breathing heavily, her face flushed and passion ignited in her eyes.

"Say you don't want me." He demanded softly. And then he licked his lips. Hermione's head fell back against the wall, as she let herself surrender to his wicked mouth. She closed her eyes and felt his fingers beginning to pull her boxers down. She took a deep breath, and exhaled with a needy moan.

"Well, well, well. Looks like we aren't the only one's looking to get off." Blaise's voice hit Hermione like a bucket of ice water and slugs had just been dumped over her head. She heard Malfoy groan somewhere around her navel before he stood slowly. She couldn't look at him, she wanted to fall through the floor and die in mortification.

Malfoy took several deep breaths, trying to compose himself. He was so hard he could barely see straight. And he had been so close to tasting her sweet flesh. He wanted to murder someone.

He turned to face a grinning Zabini, whose arm was slung over Lovegood's shoulder. That crazy witch was looking more than pleased with the situation at hand.

"They're going to have such beautiful children, Blaise, have I told you that before?"


	9. Chapter 8- Holiday Cheer

**WARNING WARNING! Smut ahead :)**

"So…you and Granger." Blaise Zabini's smirk was the epitome of 'I told you so'.

It was only 10 am, yet the Slytherins had locked themselves in the Potions lab with several bottles of firewhiskey; they were due for a proper chat.

"Fuck. Off." Was Draco's tart reply. He had managed maybe an hour of sleep last night. He had smoked several fags, jerked off three times and took a cold shower, yet still, he could not get Granger off of his brain.

"That's a yes then?" Blaise questioned, with an indulgent smile as he poured two glasses of 20-year vintage for him and his best mate. Poor chap, Malfoy was looking quite distraught and disheveled these days. "You know what you really need? A good shag." Blaise couldn't keep his mirth from spilling over into laughter. Malfoy's face darkened into a nasty scowl, as he took a threatening step forward.

"And if it hadn't been for you and fucking Loony Lovegood, I would have gotten laid last night." He hissed with venom. Blaise narrowed his eyes with distaste.

"Don't call her that, she happens to be highly intelligent." He bit out.

"Yes, and completely insane." Draco snarled in return.

"Malfoy, I'm warning you." A dangerous look had entered Zabini's eyes.

"Oh? And why is that? Are you in _love_ with her?" He taunted, feeling positively savage with spite.

Blaise stared at him hard, refusing to look away.

"How!?" Draco nearly screamed. "How have you managed to fall in love with- with-"

"With what?" Hissed Blaise, his hands clenching into fists.

Draco felt all of his rage suddenly leave him. He dropped his head and closed his eyes in defeat, as he reached for his drink. He heard Blaise's morose sigh.

"What's going on with you and Hermione?" He asked in a careful tone. Draco huffed with exasperation.

"Fuck if I know. It's…beyond complicated."

"Well that shouldn't come as a shock."

"I don't know what to do mate, when I'm with her…I feel like a better man, like my life _means_ something." He frowned. "And when I'm not, it's like…chaos. My whole world swings out of balance."

Blaise used every last ounce of self-restraint he had to keep his mouth shut. The sodding fool was in love.

"Luna has given me a much better perspective on life." He murmured. Malfoy glared at him suspiciously. "Truly, I never realized what a negative person I was. Sure, I'm outgoing and charming and all...devil may care…but my view of the world has been so jaded. And Lovegood, well, she's just so free. She doesn't give a fuck what people think of her. She doesn't just believe in goodness and love, she lives by it."

"Sounds familiar." Draco muttered, hating the sick parallels he was creating in his head.

"So yes, we are in the middle of a war. Things are awful, just horrible, there is no end in sight. But, the moments we are here and are alive, I believe we should capitalize on...with what we want. What we desire. What is the point of living if we are not present in the moment? Fuck the rest, Draco. Who knows if we will live or die, but dammit, I'm going to chase every second while I'm here." Draco looked to his friend. They had both changed so much in just a year. It was incredible what death and destruction would do to a person.

"Thanks, Blaise."

"Anytime. Now onto more important matters, Granger's tits-" Malfoy cut him off with a low growl. "Oh come on, I know you were wanking it to Luna and I in the library."

"Please, my eyes. You'll turn me into an alcoholic yet." Draco lifted his glass in a toast.

"To crazy witches."

They clinked glasses.

Hermione Granger had the best nights sleep of her life.

She had awaked feeling positive and wonderfully rested. Whatever spell Draco Malfoy had put on her, had lulled her into a place of erotic dreams that were worry and war free.

Hermione had been floating on clouds, naked and covered with Draco Malfoy. He had tortured her and pleased her until she had cried out, pulling herself into consciousness. She jumped awake. Covered in sweat, amongst other things.

It was only seconds later that she heard a knock on the door. Hermione gasped, taking a deep breath and pulling herself together.

"Come in." She called, her voice sounded as if she had just run a mile. Dear Merlin, what a dream.

Luna entered with a tray of tea. Hermione couldn't help the blush that rose gently up her cheeks. Last night had been….well, it had been a lot of things. Most pleasurable in fact, until they had been caught. But well, wasn't that supposed to be part of the fun? Or was that _almost_ getting caught? Either way, Hermione tried to push it from her mind.

"Good Morning, Luna. And thank you for the tea." She reached for a mug, as Luna smiled blandly at her.

"It's Gurdyroot." She informed her. Hermione tried not to grimace and managed only two sips before gagging.

"So, how are you?" Luna always made Hermione feel supremely awkward, and she never knew quite what to say to the girl.

"I imagine better than you." Luna replied honestly.

"You're probably right." Might as well get it over with. "Luna, about last night-"

"Are you in love with Draco Malfoy?"

"What? No. Whatever makes you say that?" Hermione gasped, trying to keep her composure. Luna shrugged.

"How you look at him. I've noticed. That's all."

"I'm not." She stated adamantly.

"Okay." Luna didn't look convinced.

"Well, what about you and Blaise?" Hermione took a brave stab at changing the subject.

"I'm in love with him." Luna's honesty was sometimes painful.

"That's wonderful." Hermione managed to spit out.

"I think so. But he's so worried all the time, you know, about us dying in the war."

"I think that's on all our minds."

"Well, more reason to embrace what we have now, right? Before it's all taken away and we are left dying and alone with nothing but our memories. I want to remember happy things."

"Luna, don't talk like that."

"It's true though. Who knows, once we leave here, if we'll ever see each other again."

"You can't think like that." She bit out, feeling hopelessness once again consume her.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to upset you. It's just, Blaise has me all stressed out about it." It was only then, that Hermione realized there were tears leaking from her eyes. She wiped them away furiously.

"You didn't. It's fine." Her smile felt painful.

"You don't have to pretend with me. It's okay to fall apart every once in awhile, you know?"

"I know. I just…I miss the boys so much. And I miss Hogwarts. It tortures me to know I am incapable of helping others. I don't know who ordered me to be confined to this house, but I'll tell you, if Harry had anything to do with it, I swear, I'll never forgive him. Look what I have been subjected to!"

"I am frustrated as well." Luna whispered, reaching out to rub Hermione's back.

"And Malfoy, oh God, where do I even begin?" Hermione felt desperation incasing her. She heard Luna sigh wistfully.

"Just…do what feels right. Everything will come much easier that way."

"I don't know what's right anymore." Hermione whispered brokenly. Luna looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Don't be silly, your heart, follow that. It's always right."

 _December_

It was almost Christmas and Hermione and Draco had decided to take their friend's advice.

The atmosphere in number 12 Grimmauld place was something akin to _almost_ cheery.

Given, Snape had complained about the psychotic amount of decorating Hermione and Kreacher had done, but when Hermione had presented Snape with a gift in the form of an envelope on Christmas eve, Draco had seen a completely different man emerge from his shadows of darkness. The look of pain and loss on Severus' face made Draco think that Hermione had played some sick, cruel joke on the man. That couldn't be though, she was the kindest person he had ever known.

His eyes snapped to the woman in question, she was eyeing Snape as if she might have made a grave miscalculation. But when he raised his head to look at her, his gaze was filled with gratitude and Draco swore he saw tears swimming in the old bat's eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Your kindness…overwhelms me." He nodded once, before excusing himself from the room. His eyes glued to whatever miracle Granger had handed him.

She smiled with terrible smugness, her gaze falling on the man who had the ability to make her heart skip several beats.

The last few weeks had been amazing. Malfoy and her had been getting on splendidly. Well, their version of splendid, which consisted of several things.

Firstly, they had given Snape reason enough to believe they had stopped trying to escape from Headquarters. Then, they began to move plans into motion, outlining exactly how they would get into the castle and what they would do once they were there.

Hermione had dug out some old DA coins to connect and plot with Ginny, Neville and the rest of the crew who were continuing to build a resistance at Hogwarts. This gave Hermione the slightest bit of comfort and fueled her aching desire to fight for justice. Things were slow, but they were progressing.

When they weren't working on the plan, Draco and Hermione spent quite a lot of time snogging in dark corners and getting into heated debates about everything from alchemy to the Bloody Baron's motive. Each and every night, Blaise, Luna and Snape were subjected to their dinner discussions, which went on three hours longer than necessary. It would start with one of them muttering the phrase "Did you know….?"

No one could or wanted to keep up with them. Heated philosophical, political, social and cultural debates were their aphrodisiac. If they started in on one another, there was no going back. And it always ended with them heavily attacking one another, and trying to rip each other's clothes off.

But bad luck was on their side. No matter how many times they touched each other with the intention of going all the way, there was always someone or something that cut them short.

Hermione had started to wonder if it was a sign. If this was all wrong in some way. She pushed those thoughts from her head, thinking back to Luna's words. She would not let fear define her choices.

"How did you do it?" Draco's deep, sultry voice brought her back to the present. She joined him on the couch, across from Luna and Blaise. The fireplace in the Drawing Room was crackling merrily, as Hermione sipped her hot mead with great satisfaction.

She smiled mysteriously, avoiding the question as she curled up into a ball, smirking at him with a tease in her eyes.

"Trisky witch." He muttered, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"Wonder if Severus might let us out in the morning for a snowball fight?" Blaise drawled with contentment. "It would be nice to stretch my legs." He grinned lasciviously down at Luna.

"Ohhhh! That would be so fun. Boys against girls." She tittered with glee.

"I think not." Scoffed Malfoy.

"What? Too dignified for a snowball fight? Or are you just afraid you'll lose?" Hermione quipped with a sardonic brow.

"It's on Granger." He hissed with sensual promise. Their heated eyes locked. Blaise and Luna exchanged a look.

"I'm rather in need of…stretching my legs." Luna commented.

"Yes. Let's get you limber for the fight." Blaise purred, as he placed a kiss on her nose. He lifted her from the couch into his arms.

"Good evening, fair friends." He bowed deeply, pretending to drop Luna. She screamed with delight. Draco scowled in annoyance. Hermione beamed.

"Goodnight." She whispered softly as they exited. The two were already glued to one another in a passionate embrace.

"Fools." Muttered Draco.

Hermione threw him a glare and took another large sip of her drink.

"Don't be cross. It's Christmas." She scolded.

"I'm not cross." He argued.

"I think it's wonderful that they make each other so happy. Especially when the world is falling apart." Hermione's smile faded.

"It doesn't matter though, does it? There's a chance they won't make it." Draco felt his face harden at the prospect of losses to be endured.

"How morbid you are. Of course there is that chance, but that's no reason to give up. Or given in." The fire had rekindled in her eyes.

"You and your optimism." He laughed cruelly.

"Well something has to keep us going." She insisted.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Draco."

They sat like that, both staring into the fire, lost in their own worlds. Trying to understand the implications of their actions and how so much had changed. It felt as if everything had led to this moment.

"I'm sorry about your father." She whispered, not completely meeting his gaze. News had come three days ago that Lucius had been found, hanged by the neck in a public square.

No one knew who had done it, but it had been grotesque and obscene news. Draco had not acknowledged his father's death. Nor did he have an emotional response to the news. He trained hard that night and had not tried to touch her afterwards. She knew he was in deep thought and she let it lie. But now…

"It doesn't matter." Was his curt reply. "I'd rather not discuss it...right now." He sounded almost polite. She didn't push the issue.

"What did you give Snape?" He asked suddenly. She shook her head.

"Something that was long over due." She muttered. He raised his eyebrows in question."I'm not sure if you are aware of the story…but to make it simple... Severus was in love with Harry's mum."

"What?" He looked at her in complete disbelief.

"Yes, she's the reason he changed sides. All his anger, all his regret, is because of her death. You see, he was sort of responsible for it."

"Sort of?" Draco felt as if the floor were shifting beneath him.

"It wasn't entirely his fault. God, I can only imagine what his childhood was like-"

"You're such a bleeding heart. What did you give him?" She wasn't sure why he was suddenly so angry.

"What is your problem?" She demanded, her brow furrowing with confusion.

"Why are you telling me all of this? You think I want to hear about Snape's tragic heartbreak? How he killed Potter's mum even though he was in love with her? I mean, it's sick. What the fuck are you saying?" He spat with fury.

"He regrets it! He lives with that regret every day! Don't you understand? He was exactly like you, brainwashed and filled with hate! He pushed her away, he forced her to abandon their friendship. And his love and hate simultaneously dealt him this fate. His remorse runs deep, Draco. He was not as strong as you. We must forgive him."

He stared at her like he had never seen her before. He wasn't sure why, because he knew this was who she was. She would see the good in everyone. She would look where others would not. She was courageous and incredible and he was blown away by her power all at once.

She had rendered him speechless, good. Hermione took a deep calming breath, and once again met his shocked gaze.

"I gave Snape a memory." She whispered softly. Her muted voice sifted into harmony with the crackling of the fire.

"A memory?" He repeated carefully.

"Yes. One that I managed to get from Harry…" She trailed off, suddenly look wary. Draco egged her on with an inclination of his head. "He was asleep one night, when we were all staying here this summer. I heard him through the wall, talking in his sleep. I…went in and he was speaking to his mother…I did a little Occlumency on him. I was practicing for N.E.W.T's , I would obviously never use it against him, but practicing Occlumency with a partner who is awake can be extremely awkward. I wasn't trying to be intrusive…." She was defending herself.

"No of course you weren't. Such a Slytherin." He smirked with approval.

She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, the memory was from when Harry was a baby. It was of his mother talking to him, telling him about her old friend Severus Snape. It must have been subconscious or whatever. Because Harry never mentioned it, but, everything she was saying, it was of forgiveness. I thought he might want that. I thought it might give him some comfort." She finished with a frown. "I hope he's not terribly upset."

Draco breathed deeply, pulling his eyes from her. This woman was going to be the end of him.

"Listen, Granger..." He trailed off as he once again faced her. She was looking at him expectantly. "Just…thanks." He nodded, more to himself than anything and started to turn away.

"Thanks?" She drawled, mimicking him. His eyes filled with heat instantly.

"Are you mocking me?" He asked. "The sheer audacity."

"What are you going to do about it?" She taunted, kicking at him with her feet. He pounced on her in an instant, pinning her down against the couch.

"Whatever I please." He replied cockily. She hissed at him. "Be a good girl, will you, for once?" He whispered, pulling out his wand and flicking it at her. Within seconds, Hermione's wrists were magically bound above her head. She tried to kick him off her, but it seemed he had taken care of her ankles as well. Then he took off his shirt.

"Let's see what we have here…" He hissed with malicious delight. He slowly peeled her bathrobe open, revealing nothing but a pair of sheer, red panties. He felt his dick harden at the sight.

She was beautiful and perfect. He was going to eat her alive. As if in a trance, Malfoy sat back, slowly running his hands over her ripe flesh, rubbing her nipples between his fingers before lowering his head to suck and bite at her sensitive flesh. Hermione felt her body jerking in reaction, but she was tied down, helpless and unable to break free. Not that she wanted to.

Draco growled as he dragged his nails down her sides, hooking a finger into each side of her panties before dragging them down her legs, and replacing the sensation of fabric with his hot mouth.

He kissed her softly and slowly, exploring her flesh with precision and restraint. Hermione was sure she would go mad before this erotic chaos was over. The things he was doing to her, were enough to make her forget her own name.

His movements became more forceful as he increased the pressure of his tongue, silently demanding that she come for him. And she did, her thighs clamping hard against the sides of his head, as she held his mouth against her. He continued his assault long after the last tremors of pleasure wracked her body. She looked down in a daze, to see him staring at her with unrestrained need, she let a moan escape her lips willingly.

"Please, Draco." She begged, rubbing her thighs together, still aching for more. She needed him to fill her, complete her, bring her home. And he did just that. She felt the bonds release her, as she instinctively opened herself to him. He quickly jerked off his pants and she gasped at the feel of his bare skin against hers.

"Draco-" She whispered, he looked up at her, his eyes filled with black holes of desire.

She wasn't sure what she had wanted to say, but he seemed to know. He flipped them over, settling her on top of him. How had he sensed that she wanted to be on top? She hadn't even know…Is this what a real connection felt like?

And then Hermione was thinking no more, for Draco Malfoy had grabbed onto her hips with vicious passion, and was placing her on the tip of his massively gorgeous cock. She felt her resistance snap as gravity took ahold of her, and she sunk down onto his wicked hot flesh.

She gasped at the beautiful sensation that filled her. And then he drove her home. He forced her to ride him relentlessly as he spanked her and pulled on her hair, forcing her mouth to engage with his, deeply. And she obliged, coming several more times before she finally pushed him over the edge by taking control of the pace and crying out his name. He had held onto her as if the world were ending, his hips jerking up against hers. Their souls fizzling with a drug-inducing pleasure they had never known.

They collapsed in a sweaty pile of limbs. Slowly floating back down to reality, where they were content and silent for several moments.

The fire was now low in the grate and popping occasionally, lulling them into a sated semi-sleep.

Draco reached down and pulled a blanket over them, Granger was already passed out on his chest. He smirked to himself as he wrapped his arms around her. This was about as good as it could get. Draco thought back to Christmases as the manor.

He had received no gifts this year, had absolutely no money to his name, but here he was, with a beautiful, intelligent witch wrapped in his arms, and he was safe…for the time being. Draco pushed all negative thoughts from his head, he wouldn't ruin this moment, no matter what. This night would sustain him through any and all battles.

Hermione woke in the dead of night, shivering. The fire was dead and the candles had burnt out. She gasped as she felt hard flesh beneath her. It was Draco. They were still in the drawing room and he was fast asleep.

As carefully as she could, she slipped off of him and covered herself with her robe, looking around cautiously. Something had woken her.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._ She looked to the window. It was a snowy white owl.

Hermione practically flew across the room, opening the latch and letting the bird in. It was shivering against the snowy night.

"Hedwig. Why would you come in this storm?" She quickly unattached the letter and hurried to grab her wand.

"Lumos."

 _Hermione,_

 _Godric's Hollow was a disaster. Ron seriously injured. Please come quickly. Meet us in the Forest of Dean at the following coordinates…._

Hermione dropped the letter in shock as Hedwig hooted softly. She turned back to look at Draco. They needed her. She had to go.

She wrote him a quick letter. Hoping to hell that Snape wasn't selfish enough to leave the broken enchantments unfixed, especially after what she had just done for him.

And with a slightly aching heart and full determination, Hermione Granger set out into the night to pursue her destiny.

 **Oh boy.**


	10. Chapter 9- Reunion

**Sorry to leave you hanging like that! Fear not readers, Draco and Hermione will be just fine…for now.**

 **M. x**

 _Draco,_

 _I'm sorry. I had to go. Harry needs me. Ron is hurt. I'll be back as soon as I find them._

 _H.G._

Draco stared at the piece of paper uncomprehendingly.

It was just breaking dawn when he awoke alone in the Drawing Room, covered in nothing but Granger's intoxicating scent. He had reached for her, to feel nothing but air and a quickly written note that had been placed on his chest.

His first thoughts were ones of panic and worry. Wasn't she supposed to be highly intelligent? What the hell was the matter with her? Running off in the middle of the night. Alone.

He read the letter again. Potter _needed_ her. That made him clench his fists in rage. What about him? _He_ needed her as well. But of course, as soon as precious Potter summoned her, she dropped everything and went running to him. He felt anger spreading through his veins. And Weasley was hurt…he wondered how seriously. And he contemplated if it would be anything compared to the violence that would ensue if she brought the two of them back here.

He went directly to Snape, who he found equally as furious and stalking around the library like a caged dragon.

"I'm aware of Miss Granger's foolhardy and insipid behavior." He had snapped, turning to face Draco with a horrible scowl.

"Well do something about it! She can't be out there on her own. She's going to get herself killed!" Draco felt the panic rising in this throat. And he admitted in that moment, that he did in fact, care; he cared a lot.

"There is nothing we can do but wait. I have no idea where she's gone." Snape was spitting fire. That little wench had purposely lulled him into a false sense of security. Once he was sure that she had given up on leaving Headquarters, he had changed the wards back to their normal spells. Now there wasn't even a way to track her.

Draco shoved the note into his hand. Snape's scowl darkened as he read her words over.

"Why the hell would Potter ask her to risk her neck like that?" Draco demanded, his anger and fear were beginning to blind him. His heart felt as if it were close to pounding its way through his chest. He had to get to her.

"Because those two idiots are incapable of finding their way out of a paper bag without her assistance. She does everything for them. I'm shocked they made it this long before summoning her." Draco wanted to scream with fury. Any semblance of self-control he possessed, was splintering dangerously.

"She wanted to go." Draco snapped. Feeling his mind beginning to run wild with all sorts of theories and conspiracies. She was probably never planning on leaving here with him. She had just been waiting for the opportune moment to escape and go join those two Gryffindicks, so they could go on a bunch of adventures that ended in death.

No, his conscience argued, she would never abandon him like that, for no reason. Things had been great, better than great. She was just acting on an impulse. Fucking Potter told her that the Ginger Twat was hurt, bleeding out somewhere. Of course they knew she would do anything to save a life, especially risk her own. He was going to smash Scar Head's skull in when he saw him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down

"Draco, I need you to pull yourself together and not do anything rash." Snape warned him, threateningly. Malfoy laughed without amusement, his eyes narrowing at Snape.

"Who's really in charge here, Severus? Whose orders are you acting on?" He demanded.

"Dumbledore's." Snape shot back.

"Dumbledore is dead!" He bellowed, running his hands through his hair like a madman.

"I am aware." Severus sneered.

"Things have changed."

"How astute."

"Let me go find her." He knew he sounded desperate and pathetic, but he didn't care.

Snape looked at him with disdain.

"You don't even know where she is." He drawled in annoyance.

"But I do." Came a small, mild voice from the doorway.

Snape and Malfoy whipped around in unison to see Luna Lovegood standing there, a letter in her hand. "I found this on the Drawing Room floor, Hermione must have dropped it." She walked forward slowly, observing the men. "You two look awful, must be all the Wrackspurts floating around in your-" Draco strode forward, ripping the letter from her hand and unfolding it.

"Forest of Dean…" He muttered, clenching the paper in his fist as he stormed past Snape towards the door.

"Wait just a minute-" Snape began, but Draco was already half way down the hall.

"I'm coming with you!" Luna called, turning and chasing after him. "And we have to bring Blaise! It's our very first mission together. Isn't it wonderful?"

Snape rolled his eyes in exasperation.

He'd let them go. If it meant he could have a few quiet moments alone with his memories, he'd let them risk their lives.

Why not? It was what they had been training for. When _he_ had been their age, he was put in equally, if not more, dangerous situations. He was barely even concerned that three of the best students he had ever had, would have trouble finding his very best pupil (though he'd rather die than admit it) and her duo of idiots. He was infinitely more worried about what would happen once they were all together. _Please don't come back here._ He begged silently. He had had it up to his ears with their teenage angst.

* * *

"Harry!" Hermione's voice broke through the darkness with relief.

It had taken her only an hour to find them. She had apparated with no problem, but once she had arrived in the snowy forest, she completely lost her bearings.

She had set off at a quick pace, her worry outweighing any fear of being completely alone in the dark wood, with Merlin knew what kind of creatures lurking around her. She shivered against her doubt as she trudged on, searching for them.

Hermione continued to look over her shoulder every time she heard the slightest noise. Every little sound was amplified in the dense and silent gloom. There could be Death Eaters out here, searching for her.

To alleviate her panic, she turned her thoughts to Draco. He was going to be so bloody furious. But she hadn't had a choice. She couldn't bring him with her, not when Ron might be dying. She needed no stupid fights or accusations thrown between the boys. She knew Harry and Draco were already on extremely thin ice, and she would not be able to concentrate on helping Ron if the two of them were at each other's throats.

But she wouldn't abandon him. She would not leave him.

Hermione felt a warm caress come over her as she thought about their lovemaking. It had not been hours ago, and she was still tingling from the aftermath of the feeling of him inside of her. She had not believed sex could be that intense and so divinely sensual.

Despite the snow falling against her face, Hermione felt heat flare through her body. Everything had been wonderful, more than she had even hoped for. She knew now, that Draco Malfoy was going to be impossible to forget, no matter what happened. She only hoped he would be able to forgive her when she returned, if she returned.

Hermione looked around her once more in worry. About 100 feet up, she spotted a tent and a lone figure standing outside, searching the night air. His wand was dimly lit and from his frantic motions, she could tell it was her best friend.

Harry Potter caught her in his arms and held onto her as if he couldn't believe she was real.

"Hermione. Thank God. Thank God." He murmured over and over again, burying his face into her snowy hair. She squeezed him back, unable to stop her tears from falling. It was Harry. Everything was going to be okay. She pulled back suddenly, her face filled with concern. Harry's mirrored hers.

"Come on." He muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the tent. He put up several protection spells as they walked. Hermione pulled her wand and joined him.

Ron was lying on the cot, unconscious and covered in blood. Hermione gasped, falling to her knees at his side. She only let the horror engulf her for a few seconds, before turning her sharp gaze to Harry.

"What happened?" She whispered, already reaching into her bag and removing several vials of potions.

"The snake. It was his snake." Harry's harsh voice was filled with tremors.

"You mean Vol-" Harry pointed his wand at her, immediately silencing her. Hermione's hand flew to her throat with indignant shock.

"The name's taboo, Hermione. If you say it…we'll be found." She nodded quickly in understanding, before he reversed it.

"We've been saying it at Headquarters. No one has found us." She huffed.

"That's probably because of Snape's protection spells. Out here, it's a different world." He turned back to Ron.

Hermione went to work, her hands shaking as she began to clean and heal the massive bite that Nagini had taken out of Ron's torso.

"Tell me what happened." She whispered. "Everything." Harry took a deep breath and sat down beside her, watching her every movement.

He started with when they had left Headquarters.

Dumbledore had told Harry there was very little time, and that he was dying and that Harry must find the Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort himself. They had destroyed the locket after Albus used some complicated magic that traced it to Dolores Umbridge. He had died shortly after, still unaware of where the other pieces of Voldemort's soul might be.

Harry had explained about the sword of Gryffindor now being their only reliable weapon against the Horcruxes. And since Ron had stumbled upon him, (Dumbledore had apparently given Ron his Put Outer the night before leaving Headquarters) they had made very little progress. And then it had been Harry's idea to visit Godric's Hollow, convinced that they might find some clues there.

"It was awful, Hermione. Her body just…collapsed, caved in on itself. We weren't prepared. Had no idea what we were up against. And then Ron…" He trailed off, looking down at his friend. Ron's breathing had evened out, though he appeared extremely restless in his dreams.

"He has a fever, but he'll be okay. We just have to let him rest." She breathed deeply, finally turning away from Ron to face Harry. "I'm just so glad to see you. Harry, I've been so worried."

He pulled her into his arms and they stayed like that for several moments.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." He whispered. "I'm so sorry for leaving you there." His voice was harsh with regret. "This would have never happened if you had come with us."

"What's done is done. I'm here now." He pulled back and looked at her.

"And you're alright? Everything's been okay in London?" Hermione's mind flashed to the furious face of Draco Malfoy.

"Well, not okay, exactly. I mean…things are looking pretty bad." Her mind turned to Hogwarts. "Harry, we have to get those kids out of the castle."

"I know, we need a plan." His face was set with determination. "But I'm asking about you. How are you?"

"I'm alright. Better now that I know you are both alive." She glanced back at Ron, before falling into deep thought. "Harry, did Dumbledore leave anything behind? I mean, was there anything he had on him that you kept after his death?"

"Of course." He jumped to his feet, turning to the small dining room to grab a black bag. "Here." He tossed it to her. Hermione peered curiously inside. A golden snitch, a Children's book and... a broken wand?

"Harry, is this yours?" She whispered, pulling the limp, dead stick out and staring at it in horror.

"The curse that I hit the snake with rebounded. Snapped it right in two. But it doesn't matter." She raised her eyebrows in shock.

"Doesn't matter? Harry-" But he was suddenly grinning at her.

"Look." He pulled another wand from his back pocket. "Dumbledore also left this." Her mouth dropped open.

"And it works for you?" She was beyond curious.

"It's the most powerful thing I've ever felt in my life." He confirmed, grasping it tightly in his hand.

"Well, that's a relief." She breathed deeply, feeling the doubt in her chest ease slightly.

They continued to chat for the rest of the night.

Harry asked about Ginny and Hermione filled him in. They discussed where the other Horcruxes might be and possible ways to take back the castle. It wasn't until dawn, that Harry finally suggested they grab a couple hours of sleep. It was only then that Hermione's mind returned to thoughts of Draco.

"Wait, Harry. I really think we should take Ron back to Headquarters."

"Hermione, we can't! Look at the state of him. We can't let him apparate like this, not even holding onto one of us...he could still splinch himself." Hermione frowned in annoyance. He was right.

"Then I at least have to let them know I'm okay." She jumped to her feet, suddenly filled with anxious energy.

"Hermione, breathe. We will get a message to them soon enough. But for now, I think you need sleep."

"Harry you don't understand. I said I would be back." She insisted, grabbing her wand and shrugging on her coat.

"You told Snape you were coming here? He wasn't supposed to let you leave the house." He looked incredibly confused.

"No, I left a letter. And what do you mean by that?" Harry stopped dead, lowering his gaze from hers. His silence condemned him.

"It was you! I _knew it_. What the hell, Potter? Why would you do that to me?" She snarled, feeling betrayal burst to life in her chest.

"Potter? Since when do you call me Potter?" He watched her with growing concern.

"Since I'm mad as hell!" She railed, picking up her bag and furiously slinging it over her shoulder.

"Hermione, I was only trying to keep you safe." He tried, taking a step towards her.

"That's not a good enough excuse for locking me away like a prisoner in that miserable place." She hissed, feeling her temper ignite. She was trying not to wake Ron and he was making it extremely difficult.

"Look, I knew you were the only one who could handle Malfoy, okay? That's why I did it." He threw his hands up in defense. She stopped short. His words reverberating in her brain.

"What?" She whispered.

"Think Hermione! Last year, who was the one who foiled his plans? You. He owes you his life after that day I sliced him open…if it hadn't been for you…" He let his voice trail off. Hermione could not keep the look of horror off of her face as he spoke. "All I'm trying to say, is if there is anyone, _anyone_ who could find good in that piece of shit and make him see the light, it is you."

She was silent, wishing to dissolve into thin air rather than face these truths.

"Am I right, then? Something's different." He whispered, eyeing her carefully. "Why do you really need to get back to Grimmauld Place so quickly?"

"I just do." She replied, finally lifting her eyes to stare back at him stonily.

"Granger!" And ungodly roar sounded from outside. Hermione jumped; absolutely convinced she was hearing things. But her worst nightmare was confirmed when Harry turned his head sharply towards the opening of the tent. His eyes narrowed into slits as the call came again, this time louder and much more angry. "GRANGER!"

"Is that-" Harry started, but Hermione was already ten steps ahead of him and out the door. He followed quickly, glancing back to make sure Ron was still breathing.

Hermione gaped in shock as she stood outside the tent in the foggy morning air, her wand dangling forgotten in her hand.

Luna Lovegood and Blaise Zabini were wandering around in the fresh snow, clearly unable to see her.

"Granger…come out, come out wherever you are!" Blaise called in a singsong voice as he made a snowball while looking around, checking if Hermione was behind a tree. He turned suddenly and chucked the snow at Luna's head.

"Hermione! We've come to rescue you!" Luna laughed, using her wand to blast the snowball to pieces, mid air. Hermione felt Harry join her outside, with a sharp gasp of disbelief.

"What the hell-" He began.

Hermione thought rescuing her might be the farthest thing from Draco Malfoy's mind. He was standing there, not moving, glaring with arctic eyes at the spot he presumed her to be. He looked thunderous. Dark circles rimmed his eyes and he was breathing heavily. Hermione was simultaneously worried and turned on. He looked so menacing, yet so…powerful. The waves of magic rippling around him were evident to her, even from this distance.

"Let them in." Harry requested, seemingly in wonder.

Hermione took a deep breath, raising her wand and dropping all protection. And then he was staring in her eyes and she saw, she couldn't believe it, relief. He had been worried. She almost smiled, but thought better of it because the fury had returned instantly to his eyes, as he began to stalk towards them.

"Oh _there_ you are!" Blaise clapped his hands together in victory. "We found her, Draco, look!"

"Hello Hermione." Luna called. "Hi Harry! Is that a new wand?"

"Come in, come in!" Harry called. Clearly thrilled with more company, regardless of who they were. It had been too long and too silent. "I have whiskey. Just keep it down…" He implored as Blaise and Luna strolled over hand in hand. "Ron's a mess." They nodded and went inside. He quickly put the protection spells back in place.

Harry glanced to his left; Malfoy was just planting his feet in front of Hermione, staring down at her with an expression of immense disapproval.

"We'll be in momentarily, Potter." He hissed, not taking his eyes off of her. He'd deal with that stupid fuck later.

She couldn't glance away, but tried to keep a look of righteous determination plastered on her face. Harry hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he took a step forward. But Hermione put up her hand.

"It's fine, Harry." She insisted. He let it go, sending a filthy glare at Malfoy before storming off into the tent.

"You." He hissed. His hands shot out quickly, grabbing her roughly by the arms.

"I know, I'm sorry." She whispered, feeling the heat of his rage radiate off onto her.

"Do you have any idea, how stupid, how foolish- why didn't you ask me to come with you? What the hell, Hermione? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

"I'm fine." She tried to reassure him, but it only made him angrier. He shook her once.

"That is not the point! Why didn't you wake me up?" He demanded, feeling his heart jolt painfully. "Why did you leave without me!?"

"Draco, I'm sorry!" She cried. "There wasn't time. I wasn't thinking. I just knew the boys needed me and I panicked. I- I thought if you came, it would have taken me so much time to convince you and then you know, you don't exactly all get along and I just wanted to get here and get back. I swear, I swear I was coming back." Draco frowned down at her, losing some of his malice. She was looking terribly upset and confused. He loosened his grip on her and swiftly pulled her against his body.

"Don't _ever_ do that to me again." He whispered harshly into her ear.

"I won't. I'm sorry." She muttered. He nodded, taking a deep breath. They held each other for several moments, incased in the silence of the forest. "Was that our first fight?" She asked sleepily, as she relaxed against his chest.

"Granger are you demented? We've had more fights than I can count-"

"You know what I mean." He was so warm, she could fall asleep right here.

"Is the Weasel alive?" He asked with distaste.

"Yes, I saved him." She yawned.

"Of course you did." He smirked.

"Draco?" Was she falling asleep?

"Hm?" He closed his eyes, breathing her in. So bloody thankful that she was safe and in his arms.

"We're partners in crime, you know." She mumbled in her sleep. He rolled his eyes before lifting her into his arms and carrying her into the tent.

"Yes, Granger. I know."


	11. Chapter 10- Break Down

**Good Morning Lovelies!**

 **Firstly, thanks very much for all the love & reviews. Super appreciated :)**

 **Secondly, I'm starting a new gig next week and my time is going to be extremely limited. I'm hoping to finish this story before then. Could use a little liquid luck right about now…**

 **Cheers,**

 **M.x**

Hermione listened to the lull of conversation as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

She was vaguely aware of Harry filling the rest of them in, about the events that had led up to last night. She could hear that his voice was quite strained, she wondered if that had anything to do with Malfoy's presence.

After about an hour, they all fell silent and had drifted off into their own forms of sleep. Hermione's last thought before she dropped off into the darkness, was that she hoped they would find a few moments of peace, for she knew once everyone was fully awake, things would certainly get messy.

Draco was jerked from his slumber by the sound of Ron Weasley bellowing in fury.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Draco's eyes snapped open and he was once again met with the fiery glare of the Weasel.

He smirked, the idiot was certainly in no condition to fight him. Draco relaxed back into the chair he had been dozing in as he felt a sneer lift onto his face.

"We've come to rescue your pathetic arse. What's the matter Weasley, still can't figure out how to use your wand?" He hissed with glee. Ron started to lift himself off the cot.

"Stop." Draco's eyes snapped to the corner of the room.

Hermione was laying there, watching them with angry eyes. They both fell silent as Harry Potter came through the tent opening. He went straight to Hermione, handing her a note.

She sat up quickly as Potter dropped down next to her on the makeshift sofa.

Draco eyes narrowed as Potter moved closer to her, leaning against her body as he stared at her with a pleased expression.

Malfoy couldn't explain why it made him so furious, other than the fact that them sitting there together looked so natural. They were completely at easy with one another. Hermione glanced up quickly, as though she had felt his eyes boring into her.

"It's from Snape." She offered, before turning to Harry. "He wants us to stay here. He said he's leaving Headquarters and he's not sure when he'll return…" She frowned. "Where do you suppose he's headed?"

Harry shook his head. "Who knows?"

"What do you mean _us_ , stay here?" Ron snarled. Hermione's eyes snapped to him.

"Good Morning, Ronald. Lovely to see you too. Hope you're feeling better, I was only up half the night stitching you back together." She hissed in fury. Draco felt a smirk pulling at his lips. Weasley turned red and muttered something that sounded like, 'Thanks, 'Mione.'

She nodded curtly, then turned her attention back to Potter.

"Do you have enough room and supplies for four more people?" She asked hesitantly.

" _Four?_ Four more people? Who the hell is here?" Ron asked with shock.

"Luna and Blaise." Harry confirmed.

Ron rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"It's not an issue." Draco snapped. "We brought our own tents and provisions. Lovegood and Blaise are setting up on the other side of the hill. Trust me, I wouldn't move into this hovel if you paid me." He finished, with an arrogant inspection of the musty tent.

"That's rich, considering you don't even have two knuts to rub together." Ron replied with spite.

"Yeah Weasley, I can't believe you've had to endure this sort of poverty for your entire existence."

"Malfoy!" Hermione snapped, turning her furious gaze to him. He glared at her nastily.

"We have enough to worry about at the moment without this pettiness." Harry declared with annoying confidence. What a righteous little prick, Malfoy thought savagely.

"Exactly." Hermione smiled at him with a nod. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it affectionately. Draco closed his eyes against the urge to rip Scar Head limb from limb.

"Is there anything to drink?" Draco muttered, rubbing his fingers against his forehead with agitation. Ron scoffed at him as he laid back down and gave them his back.

"Wake me up when the Death Eater is gone." Was his cold reply. Hermione's gaze narrowed at him, but she stayed silent.

Potter got to his feet and stalked out of the room.

Draco stared at Granger as they waited. She was looking at him, pleading silently with her eyes, for him to keep his cool. And he would, as soon as Potter learned to keep his hands to himself and Weasel rotted in hell.

Harry strode back into the room, slamming a bottle of firewhiskey down on the table next to him.

"Shot for shot, Malfoy?" He challenged, pulling up a chair.

"You're on." Draco hissed with delight. Hermione stood up suddenly, watching the start of an extremely bad situation unfolding.

"I don't think this is a good-" They both turned and looked at her. "Idea." She finished, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I think it's exactly what's needed." Draco snapped, his hateful glare melding with Potter's.

"Yes." Harry agreed, a dark look entering his eyes. "It sure is."

Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics.

"We have work to do! Plans to make." She insisted.

"It's Christmas." Draco snarled, popping open the bottle of spirits.

"Hermione, Malfoy and I aren't going to be able to work together until we get this conversation out of the way." Harry insisted. Draco raised his eyebrow in surprise. He thought they were just going to get pissed and beat the shit out of one another to release some tension.

"How sweet, Potter. You want to get to know me." He taunted.

"I don't trust you, Malfoy. You've proved nothing to me." Harry explained with a light airiness to his tone, that Draco found immensely nerve grating.

"I don't have to prove anything to you, Potter." He growled. Ron laughed from his resting place.

"I think you'll find, that you do." Potter whispered, his eyes falling to Hermione once again, who was watching them nervously. Draco felt his jaw clench. What was he saying? Granger was off limits until Potter _approved_ of him? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

"Hermione, can you please go see if Blaise and Luna need anything?" Harry asked politely, as he filled the two glasses in front of him. Her expression turned to one of immense annoyance. "Ron, you want a pop?" Harry called to his friend, raising the bottle. Ron turned over with a grin on his face.

"Absolutely not! No, Harry, I'm serious. He's lost an extremely large amount of blood and I don't think-" Oh, she was riled now. Malfoy felt himself grow hard with desire.

"It's for the pain 'Mione! I'm in so much _pain_!" Ron clenched at his wounds with a dramatic grimace on his face.

"Fine. You just go ahead and get smashed. I'm deeply disappointed in _all_ of you. Don't ask for my help again." She snapped, grabbing her coat and wand as she ripped open the tent flap and stormed out into the snowy afternoon.

All three of them watched her go, it was silent for several moments. Harry turned slowly back to Malfoy, sizing him up. Draco stared back, ready for anything Potter threw at him. Ron interrupted their staring contest.

"About that pop…" Harry grabbed another glass and handed it to his best friend, whispering something that sounded like 'let me handle this'. Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance, as Potter returned to the table. He lifted his glass and Draco repeated the gesture.

And that was how it began.

The first half hour was rough. It was mostly stony silences and Potter throwing barbs and questions at Malfoy, trying to find out how much darkness was still inside him.

"Why did you change sides?"

"Why are you so irritating?"

"Why should we trust you now?"

"Do you have another choice?"

And on it went. Draco was beginning to feel the whiskey take hold of his brain. He glanced at Weasley, who was now sitting up, very much enjoying his drink and a show. Potter had removed his glasses and was rubbing his palms into his eyes.

"Malfoy. Will you just answer one bloody question without another question?" He muttered with extreme exasperation.

"Why should I?" He shot back.

"I'm not doing this for my own amusement." Harry was coming close to losing his temper.

"You aren't?" Draco raised a smug eyebrow, this was just too much fun.

"You're impossible Malfoy." Harry announced, a look of disgust falling onto his face. Weasel chimed in once again with a 'Told you Harry, he's a Malfoy, he can't change.' Something about the arrogant look on Weasley's face pushed Draco right over the edge. Fuck this.

"Why? Because I won't answer all of your ridiculous questions? Do you honestly think that Dumbledore didn't ask me every single thing you have thought of and more? Do you honestly believe I would spend my time being here with _you_ , if I wasn't serious about it?" He snapped, reaching for the bottle once more. Ron was looking mightily impressed.

"Hell, Harry. That was a lot of good bloody questions." He cheers-ed to Malfoy and took a long swig. Potter however, was not impressed.

"How is it…that the one person you hated, possibly more than myself, was able to change your mind?" Harry asked slowly. Draco tried not to let his expression slip from the one of annoyed boredom he was currently sporting. He took another shot. Potter followed him.

"Yeah, I'm curious." Ron commented, his glare hardening. "How did she do it?"

Draco took a deep breath. Willing himself to stay silent. Part of him wanted to run them into the ground with _exactly_ how she had done it. He wanted to give them every detail of just how much Hermione Granger had changed his fucking life. But some part of him knew, that it would absolutely break her trust in him if he went spouting off about their relationship. Relationship? Fuck, he was so screwed.

But still, it was her duty to tell her friends about him. She _was_ going to tell them, right? He after all, had only Blaise to confide in.

"She followed me and annoyed me and lectured me until I would have willing given myself up to the Death Eaters to make her stop." Draco replied, trying to look as unaffected as possible.

"You mean your _family_?" Ron snarled. Draco ignored him as best he could as he finished what he thought was his sixth glass of booze.

"That sounds like Hermione." Harry mused, a strange look coming into his eyes.

"Yes, it was intolerable." Draco muttered, refilling his glass.

"And you just…what? Saw the light?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Not at first, no. But I was desperate. I hardly expect you to understand." His pompous tone was filled with underlying resentment.

"Try me." Potter insisted.

Alright, he would start at the beginning.

"After you had Lucius thrown into Azkaban, the Dark Lord moved into my family's home. He insisted the only way to avenge my father, was to kill Dumbledore. He told me if I didn't, he'd give my mother to the werewolf. All last year, while I was stuck at school...my mother remained a prisoner in her own house. She was raped and tortured and used as bait to ensure my success." He whispered violently, feeling his body begin to shake with an uncontrollable need to snap. He had left those gruesome details out when explaining his situation to Hermione. "I was branded. Stuck." He hissed, pulling back his sleeve to show them The Dark Mark. It was angrier and uglier than ever.

"I was about to lose my mother, myself, _everything_. And Granger…" He paused, thinking back to those nights when he had pushed her away, and yet she had endured. "She convinced me that I was better... _more_. More than The Dark Lord. More than my father." He whispered harshly, dropping his gaze to his once again, empty glass. His head was beginning to spin.

"That's 'Mione." Ron slurred thoughtfully. "Completely flipping delusional." He muttered.

Draco was on his feet in a second, ready to put his fist through Weasel's freckled face. Potter's next words were the only thing that stopped him.

"I believe you."

Draco stared at him suspiciously, and Potter just looked back at him politely. He dropped into his seat.

"You do?" He and Ron stated at the same time.

"I just needed honesty. How do you think relationships are formed, Malfoy?"

"Fuck if I know." He watched as Potter poured another drink.

"So what now?" Ron demanded. "I have to be _nice_ to him?"

Potter turned his gaze to his best friend. "Let's try cordial. Seems like he actually has some remorse in him after all." Draco wanted to gag.

"Still here. And please, don't be nice. It might make me ill." He sneered with disgust.

Ron snorted with drunken laughter.

"Deal."

Potter smiled slightly and then looked back to Malfoy.

"And how are things now?" He asked suddenly.

Draco raised an eyebrow with cold distaste.

"Now?" He drawled. "Peachy."

"I mean at Headquarters." Harry frowned at him.

"I won't forget my stay anytime soon." He half laughed to himself.

"Meaning?" Harry pressed, his eyes growing darker.

"It was an experience." Draco waved his hand, as if the details were inconsequential. Though his mind flashed with the image of his face buried between Granger's thighs...he licked his lips unconsciously.

"Luna and Zabini, huh?" Ron called from the corner.

"Yup." He answered curtly, his face a mask of stone. Harry continued to stare at him, searching for something. Ron cleared his throat in annoyance.

"I always said she was insane."

"I'll agree with you there, Weasley."

"And Hermione? How has she been?" Potter just couldn't let up with his irritating questions.

"A bloody basket case, running around like a chicken with her head cut off." Draco snapped.

Potter and Weasel exchanged a knowing grin.

"But she's happy?" Harry was looking anxious. Draco rolled his eyes.

"How would I know?"

"Does she talk about us?" Ron asked, hopefully. Draco hissed in his direction.

"Please, do a look like a gossiping old woman?" He spat.

"We missed her birthday this year." Harry muttered with gloom. Weasley frowned in confusion.

"When was it again?"

"September 19th." Draco replied, without thinking.

Both Harry and Ron turned to stare at him. Weasley was looking quite shocked, but Potter was now watching him with extreme wariness.

"How do you know that?" He snapped. Draco went blank, as he reached for the now nearly empty bottle.

"Lucky guess." He insisted, furious at himself for speaking without thinking.

The Golden Duo watched him with growing mistrust. Their eyes speaking volumes about what they would do to him if they found out just how lucky he had been.

He knew they were protective over her, but there was something else underneath it. More than just a friendly or brotherly concern. The thought of having to go through not just Weasley, but Potter as well, to keep Hermione for himself, made him suddenly sick. He felt the room spin as he closed his eyes and sat back, breathing deeply.

Harry was frowning as he continued to stare at Malfoy. He opened his mouth to ask him exactly how close they had become, when he heard a shout from outside. He and Draco exchanged a look before jumping to their feet and running to meet the sound.

The sight that greeted them was not what they were expecting at all.

Blaise, Luna and Granger were all standing in a line, watching silently, as a group of Snatchers marched past, carrying torches and all sorts of homemade weapons.

They were hauling what looked like several bodies wrapped in pieces of canvas; singing merrily and laughing as if having the time of their lives. It was unnerving to stand there, unseen but so close to the enemy.

Draco could not even picture Hermione's face, but he saw her back was rigid. She was holding Luna's hand tightly, her other hand clenching her wand, ready to spring into action. He held his breath as he watched them pass. He could hear Potter breathing harshly on the other side of him.

One of the Snatchers drunkenly stumbled, losing his grip on the bag he was carrying.

The corpse of Ted Tonks hit the snow with a soft thud.

The Snatchers began fighting amongst themselves, screaming and shoving each other about whose fault it had been, all while Ted Tonks' cold, lifeless eyes stared up at them.

Hermione collapsed to her knees in the snow, burying her head in her hands as she silently sobbed. Potter was already running to her side.

Draco's vision blurred and he took deep breaths, trying to control the panic overtaking him.

His Uncle. His Muggleborn Uncle was lying there dead.

Murdered, all because of his blood...which was running down from his head slowly and staining the new fallen snow.

It was the exact same shade as his.

Draco couldn't take it, he turned and violently threw up.


	12. Chapter 11- Steep Costs

**Okay guys, I don't know if it's just the state of the World or what, but I got really dark with this. I promise you a happy ending, and I will stick by that. But in the meantime, buckle up.**

 **M. x**

They buried Ted Tonks on Boxing Day.

Luna had arranged some beautiful, winter roses to place over the marked grave they had dug by hand. All of them stood around the fresh mound of earth in silence. It was bitterly cold and bleak. Ron Weasley's eyes were glued to the frozen earth at his feet, his arm slung around Harry's shoulders, as he grimaced against the pain of his healing wounds.

Hermione watched him carefully, wondering how the hell they were all going to make it out of here alive.

Blaise Zabini was close to losing his mind. He could think of nothing but death and the impending loss of the woman at his side. Luna smiled up at him, and his heart nearly broke.

Malfoy stood off in the distance, his gaze far away in another place and time. He could not comprehend the magnitude of the situation. It felt as if the ground was literally falling apart around his feet. What could he possibly do?

But it was Harry Potter who broke them from their swarms of thought.

"Ted Tonks was a good man. We will not let his death be in vain." He nearly shouted, refusing to wipe at the tears that filled his eyes. "We must keep going. We must fight." He whispered harshly, his voice carrying through the hollows and copses of trees. The wind answered his call, like fear rushing towards them, on wings of obsidian death.

And The Chosen One's words were taken to heart…for the next month straight, all they did was research and plan.

It turned out that Luna and Blaise proved to be extremely helpful. Ron and Harry's skeptical attitude towards the couple lessened once they got down to business.

Luna and Harry went for long walks every morning to discuss the children's book that Dumbledore had left behind. Hermione proclaimed it rubbish, but the two were intent on following the ridiculous quest of the Deathly Hallows.

Meanwhile, she, Ron and Blaise worked on finding a way into the castle, as well as tracking the rest of the Horcruxes. It turned out that Ron had escaped from Hogwarts through an old tunnel in the Room of Requirement, which led straight into the Hog's Head. They were already planning their strategy on how to get into Hogsmead undetected.

And Malfoy, he had been of no help to anyone at all.

Hermione was unsure of what to do with him. He was silent and brooding; completely ignoring the realities happening around him. He had shut down and gone to a place of darkness and utter loathing.

He woke earlier than everyone else, and could be seen practicing, all day, on the South slope of the hill they were camped on. It was almost February and still, he felt it necessary to remove his shirt. He would eat alone and trek off into the forest at night, with out any protection but his wand.

The first few times, Blaise had tried to dissuade him from going, insisting that he stop trying to get himself killed. Hermione remembered the night Blaise had grabbed him and Draco, being so furious, had spun around and hit him, breaking his nose. Zabini had looked up from the ground, staring at him in shock.

"You've lost it, mate. Go home." He hissed, before getting to his feet and stalking off.

"What home!?" Malfoy yelled after him with taunting disdain. He sneered at the rest of them before disappearing into the dark woods.

He hadn't come back that night.

Hermione had waited outside the tent the entire evening, her mind filled with rational horrors of what could have happened to him. He had remerged in the morning, soaking wet, covered in cuts and bruises, absolutely dead on his feet.

She had tried to talk to him, to help him, but he had shoved her away with a growl and took off to his private quarters. Hermione felt the bile rise in her throat, as much as he tried to wash it off in the river, she could smell the stench of fresh blood.

She held her tongue, and kept a wary eye on him. But his horrid behavior persisted.

Ron was now blaming her _daily_ for bringing Malfoy here. She reminded the hot head over and over again, that she had only come to save his bloody life!

Everyone was on edge.

And as February pushed into March, their resistance began to fall apart at the seams.

Harry continued to obsess over the Deathly Hallows, completely losing focus on being their leader as well as fulfilling Dumbledore's wishes. They had not heard from Snape once.

Hermione was beginning to wonder if their isolation was driving them mad. They had no news, no means of connection to the outside world. For all she knew, every single member of The Order of the Phoenix could be dead. Hermione tried to push her thoughts into a more positive realm. At least they were alive.

It was a cold dark evening in March, when the tension that had been building for weeks and weeks, finally gave.

Hermione had been keeping watch outside the tent she was sharing with Harry and Ron. It seemed hilariously trivial to her that upon their arrival, she had worried about Draco and her, possibly sharing a tent.

She had been a fool, a stupid naïve idiot. Sure, Draco Malfoy may have changed sides, but he certainly hadn't changed his motives. He was made for destruction. And that's what he had done: built something up, something she thought had meaning and purpose, and then he lit a match and laughed as it all burned down.

She had given up on trying to talk to him, which had proved to be a miserable idea. He hadn't muttered a word to her in two weeks. But she refused to let him deter her from what was really important.

If he had gotten his one night and he was over it, then so was she. She was, _really_.

But dammit! Why had he come after her, then? Why couldn't he have just let her go? She really didn't want to concern herself with him, but she knew he was falling back into old patterns and trouble.

Ted Tonks' death had done something to him. She had no idea where he went at night, but she was sure he was out there hunting, possibly torturing or killing people. She shuddered, feeling particularly on edge and nervous.

There was something in the air that just didn't feel right.

"Harry?" She whispered quietly. She heard movement from beyond the tent flap. He appeared a minute later, his wand ready and his eyes alert.

"What is it? Did you hear something?" He whispered sharply.

She shook her head. "Just wanted some company. It's…weird out here tonight."

Harry's face softened slightly as he sat down next to her, throwing the thick quilt over both of their legs. Then he lifted his head and closed his eyes, listening intently.

"It's too quiet tonight. I don't like it, Hermione." He muttered.

"Nor do I." She sighed, looking around to see if Malfoy was returning yet. It was getting close to midnight.

"Where do you suppose he goes?" Harry asked, a dark frown marring his face.

"I wish I knew." She breathed. "I'm really concerned about his behavior, Harry."

"As am I. But I swear, I'm always right about people. He was getting better." He insisted with a curious frown.

"I think Ted's death really shook him." She answered, remembering the day she had seen the light go out in his eyes.

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" He inquired.

"Yes, but have you seen him lately? He's completely unreasonable. He's just festering in some dark world. Malfoy is damaged, Harry."

"Not an excuse. At least he had parents." He snapped back with a coldness she was not used to hearing from him.

"Parents who were You Know Who's supporters. Do you have any idea how much hate has been warped into his mind? I undid as much as I could. But I'm afraid his loathing has turned inwards…." She trailed off, realizing in that moment, that Draco was trying to self-destruct, at least until he found meaning. And silly her, she thought her influence would be enough. Hermione scowled.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I think he's going off every night and hunting down Death Eaters and Snatchers and any one he can get his hands on that is against our fight." She rattled off quickly. It didn't sound any less awful when she said it aloud.

"No." Harry looked astounded. "You really think so?"

Hermione nodded vigorously.

"Well, that's bloody great!"

"No it is not! Are you insane? What if he's caught?" Terror spiked in her soul.

"He's proving himself." Harry amended.

"I will NEVER understand men. I swear, what is wrong with all of you?" She hissed, feeling utterly lost.

"All of us?" He grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"I'm serious, Harry. He might be fighting the good fight, but he's doing it out of selfish revenge."

"No, you're wrong." She looked at him in disbelief. "He realizes that he's not going to have a moment of peace until he does this. Until he gets it right, until he wins, for once." Harry whispered back.

"I don't know about that-" She started.

"Trust me." He looked down at her intensely. His eyes flickering to her lips. "He has to do this. For himself."

"What if he brings one of them back here? Accidentally? He's putting us all in danger." She urged with furious conviction.

"Hermione, we are the most wanted people in the Wizarding World, do you really think that matters?"

"I just wish we had a solid plan." She suddenly felt drained and so tired.

"We'll figure this out. We always do. You and me and Ron together, right?"

"Right." She felt a small smile lift onto her face, as she leaned her head on her best friend's shoulder. Any happiness she felt was quickly extinguished by the sinister, ice-cold threat of Draco Malfoy.

"Well isn't this cozy." He hissed, stalking up from behind them. Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to face him. He was covered in blood. She gasped, and reached for her wand quickly whispering _Lumos_.

His face was thrown into relief by the light, and she nearly passed out. His eyes were blackened and blood was dripping steadily from the corner of his mouth.

"Malfoy, what the hell happened?" Harry began, as Blaise came running over the hill quickly, Luna right at his side.

"I spotted him down by the river. We barely made it back." Blaise was speaking rapidly, looking extremely panicked.

"What's going on?" Hermione pleaded, looking from face to face.

"My question exactly." Draco snarled, advancing on her with savage rage. She took a few steps back and raised her wand. He looked positively possessed, but her defensive position stopped him. His eyes burned with betrayal.

"What is happening to you?" She whispered. He laughed in her face, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"What has happened to me Granger, is that I have realized, none of this means _anything_!" He nearly screamed, as the rest of them watched in silence, on guard and ready to stun him if necessary.

"Draco," She tried softly, lowering her wand. "Please calm down."

"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!? Do you have any idea what is happening out there? Any of you? People are being slaughtered in the streets. It's a fucking massacre. Children, women, men, everyone. And I swore to myself, I swore along with _the rest of you_ , that we would keep going, that we would fight on, for Ted!" His voice had reached a volume that sent ravens cawing from the dead branches above their heads. "Or was I wrong?" He demanded.

Ron had limped out of the tent, looking around in worry. When he spotted Malfoy, his eyes hardened with fury.

"Hey, take it easy." He growled, stalking forward to confront the crazed looking wizard.

"You fucking take it easy." Draco spat, shoving him backwards. Ron stumbled but caught himself.

"Malfoy stop!" Hermione screamed. "Just stop! Can't you see what you are doing to everyone?"

"Can't you see what you've done to me!?" His voice cracked with anguish. "You've ruined _everything_ , Granger, everything! It's all because of you that I'm here; it's all because of you that I now care. I fucking care, all right? I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't stop fighting until I know that you are safe. Do you understand?" He pulled out a knife suddenly, and everyone took a step back.

"Draco, please, put down the knife." Luna whispered, taking several steps forward. Blaise yanked her back with fury, shielding her body with his.

"I can't stop Loony, you know why? Because it's about time I've proved myself. What do you think, Potter?" Harry was staring at him as if he had never seen him before. This certainly wasn't Malfoy, and it certainly wasn't a Death Eater. What had Hermione done?

"And now for a test." He announced, rolling back the sleeve of his blood soaked jumper and exposing The Dark Mark. He clenched the knife in his shaking hand as he placed it right at the top of the tattoo. "You want to see me suffer, don't you?" His eyes snapped to Hermione's. "Don't _you_?"

She was shocked speechless and could do nothing but shake her head. Even Ron had lost the ability to speak.

"Really?" He scoffed with cold laughter. "Because I thought that was why you decided to keep us a secret. So you could jump into bed with Potter, right?"

"Are you insane!?" She raged with infuriation, unaware of the shocked look on both Ron and Harry's face. "You're unhinged, you know that?" She hissed.

"You made me this way! You and all your _goodness_." He spat the word as if it were disgusting.

"I was so wrong about you." She whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Hermione, what-" Ron started.

"Ronald, shut up. Just shut up!" She commanded, her eyes snapping to his, which she could see were full of questions and anger.

Luna's gasp drew her attention back to Malfoy; he had begun carving the tattoo from his skin, peeling it away with manic precision.

"I'm going to be sick." Blaise breathed, turning away and retching. Luna rubbed his back as she watched Malfoy with a disappointed face.

"Malfoy, enough!" Harry demanded, stalking towards him. Blood was now flowing freely from his alabaster flesh.

"Do I have your approval Potter?" He hissed, his arm numb compared to the pain that was exploding through his heart. "What about you Granger, does this make me good enough?"

"Malfoy, that was never a question! Oh God, please stop!" She screamed, pushing past Harry and trying to yank the bloody knife from his slippery grasp. "Stop, just stop!" Her tears were falling fast now, blinding her with disillusion.

"We all know Potter wants you." He hissed menacingly. "I see the way you look at each other. I realize now why you left. You never wanted me here!" His heartbreak was barely concealed, as he let his repressed demons spill over. "Why would you, right? I'm scum. I'd be nothing but a dark smear on your life. Not even fit to serve Voldemort!"

"NO!" Screamed Harry, as Malfoy let go of the knife. It slipped from his grasp and went flying. It slashed across Hermione's collarbone, drawing a thin line of crimson before falling to the ground with a dull thud.

She looked at him, uncomprehendingly, as he reached for her, guilt and horror ablaze in his eyes. She swore the man looking at her right now, was the one she had been falling in love with. But she backed away, a stricken gaze in her eyes, as she realized what was about to come.

The loud popping of the protection spells disintegrating, jarred Hermione into action. She wiped the blood away as Draco continued to stare at her, frozen in remorse.

The sound of stampeding feet and war cries forced the blood to pump through her ears. She reached for Draco, hoping in that one single moment, for him to know that know matter what, she still believed in him. She kissed him deeply, before pulling away.

"Hermione!" Harry's voice was urgent and raw. "They're coming!"

She turned back to Draco, seeing that deep in his eyes, she had given him some sort of hope. It was all they had these days, she thought wildly.

"Run." Hermione whispered, as fire and laughter rent the air.

 _Please._ Draco begged and prayed to an unknown God as he ran for his life. _Please let her live._


	13. Chapter 12- Righteous Betrayal

**Woo hoo! Yes, Draco's gone a bit mad…but wouldn't you too? I've been thinking about this chapter all day. So here goes nothing…**

 **M. x**

It all happened so fast that Hermione barely had time to think.

One moment she was flying through the woods, her heart racing with panic. She looked around frantically, hearing the sound of the Snatchers closing in.

She only had a second to jinx Harry's face undistinguishable, before they went tumbling head first down a steep embankment.

Fenir Greyback was waiting for them. His matted fur was soaked in blood and his teeth sharp, gleaming with manic joy.

"What do we have here?" He had crooned softly, advancing on Hermione. He kicked her in the head sharply with his steel pointed boot, and everything went black.

She awoke to the sounds of harsh breathing and wild laughter.

It was still dark out, but the woods were now lit with torches. On either side of her, two bodies struggled against their bonds. Hermione breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was okay; she was with Harry and Ron. But where were the rest?

"Well look who came alive!" Roared Greyback with laughter, as the men surrounding him jeered with approval. The monster stalked over to her, leaning down and grabbing her face with his filthy, blood-crusted claws. "So pretty you are, think I might keep you for myself!" He licked her from her neck to her temple.

"Don't touch her!" Harry snapped with fury.

She cringed away, wanting nothing more than to rip out his disgusting throat. She settled for spitting in his face.

The back of his hand came down on her with vengeance, but she fought against the scream aching to erupt from her throat. A deep, animal-like cry sounded from the dark forest beyond. The men turned their heads to all stare at it.

"Boss, let's get outta here, yeah? Don't like the sounda that." One of the Snatcher's voiced with worry.

Fenir ignored him, turning to inspect Harry. "Aren't you ugly." He looked to Ron, then back at Harry. Recognition sparked in his wicked yellow eyes, they gleamed with victory.

"Oi! I found a sword." Another henchman piped up. Fenir turned back and grabbed the weapon from him.

"Give me that you idiot. Let's go." He spat.

"Where we takin' this lot, Sir?"

"The Manor. Lucius Malfoy will be pleased."

Hermione felt her terror increase. Lucius was dead. Wasn't he?

Where was Draco? She couldn't face this without him.

Harry was frantically whispering words in her and Ron's ears… plans. But she couldn't concentrate as she was dragged to her feet. Dirty, calloused hands ran themselves all over her skin, tearing at her clothes.

"Get off her!" Ron bellowed with fury. "I'll fucking kill you!" He was knocked unconscious as Hermione let out a scream. The men laughed.

"Tell your boyfriend to keep his mouth shut or I'll break his neck." Greyback promised, as he licked his lips maliciously.

Malfoy Manor was more horrific and sinister than Hermione could have ever imagined. The Snatcher's half dragged them up to the iron gates, before Greyback stated his business.

"We've brought goodies. Someone I think you'd like to see." He had hissed threateningly.

Hermione vaguely noticed that he did not have the same privileges as the Death Eaters; to enter at free will. Snape had explained to her, most unwillingly, how the dark magic worked.

The werewolf was inferior. How did he not see it? She wondered. People who lived only to obtain power often became the weakest of souls. Just look at Voldemort, there were only pieces of him left.

They were admitted through the gates, and Hermione felt her heart sink into despair.

Fenir led the procession up the long drive to the front doors, shoving Harry along as if he were a prize-winning goose.

Hermione continued to look around and behind her, her fear increasing as she thought of the rest of their group. Malfoy specifically. Had he gotten hit? Had his body been left for dead? Was he still out there?

Hermione had no more time to think. She was being escorted by a shaking house elf, into the illustrious Drawing Room of the Manor.

She forgot how to breathe.

There stood Lucius Malfoy, alive and looking as dapper as ever. She couldn't believe it. Next to him was…Hermione felt her face drop in shock, Narcissa Malfoy. Draco had confided in her back at Headquarters, that the Malfoy Matriarch had publically condemned her murderous husband and was in France with his Aunt…Ted's wife.

Narcissa looked broken and haunted. Hermione could only expect the worst. Lucius stepped forward, an evil smile on his face as he examined the haul.

"Why, isn't that a _Weasley_?" Lucius used his cane to tilt Ron's head to the side. Ron snarled, fighting against his ropes. "Right where you belong, Mr. Weasley. At my feet." Hermione watched as Narcissa shuddered, closing her eyes against the bloody, beat up kids.

"And Ms. Granger, I could never forget _your_ face." Lucius drawled slowly, reaching down to rub his hand against her cheek. "So filthy." He whispered with malevolence. His voice sounded so much like Draco's that she wanted to scream. He had done this to them. He was going to leave them here to die. And save him-bloody-self. She felt her panic increase.

"What…is….this….guests, Cissy?" Hermione gasped, she could not help the fear that consumed her. That singsong voice was enough to make anyone mad.

"This ain't none of your concern, witch!" Spat Greyback, as Bellatrix Lestrange sauntered into the room.

Her wand was drawn and dangling playfully from the tips of her sharp nails. She laughed softly before murdering every Snatcher in the room. Their bodies dropped like dominoes.

She turned back to look at Greyback, her eyebrow raised with amusement. "Oops!" Hermione felt the room spin. This could not be happening.

"Where did you get that?" Bellatrix whispered softly, her eyes falling to the sword of Gryffindor.

He looked down at the sword then back at the deranged woman. "I found it. It's mine."

She struck like a viper, forcing Greyback to his knees as she scooped the fallen sword up from the floor, pointing it at his throat. "I won't ask you again."

"He had it!" He pointed to Harry. Bellatrix turned swiftly, stalking over to the three of them.

"No!" She hissed in delight the second her eyes fell on Harry. Ever so slowly, she lifted her finger up and pressed it down against his stretched out scar.

He screamed with pain. Hermione closed her eyes against the sound, hoping she would kill them quickly. She doubted it. Snape had mentioned once during training how much Bellatrix liked to play with her food.

"Little, bitty, _Potter_." She crooned softly. She slapped him viciously, drawing blood with her fingertips. "How did you get the sword from my vault?" She screamed with insane fury. She slapped him again.

"It's a fake!" Hermione heard herself cry. "We, we found it after-" She stopped suddenly as Bellatrix reached for her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the next blow.

But the psychopath paused, as the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the entrance.

They all turned as the doors swung open, and in strolled Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. They were dragging Luna Lovegood between them, who was unconscious and tied up. They were both dressed impeccably in black robes, and groomed to a tee. Hermione could not believe her eyes. She was half convinced that the blow to her head had done her in.

Draco was smirking coldly, his face freshly shaven and completely healed. The same with Zabini.

"You!" Screamed Ron, fighting harder than ever against his bonds. "I'll kill you. I'll fucking-"

Draco silenced him with his wand, as he dropped Luna on her face and walked towards his stunned family.

"That's better." He drawled. "Good Evening, Mother….Father." He looked cool, calm and composed.

Hermione could not understand it, but she felt her heart shattering to pieces. Narcissa was sobbing openly now, but she didn't dare reach out and touch him. "Your werewolf missed one of them." He laughed easily, looking around and purposely avoiding the trio's furious gazes. "Anything to drink in this place?"

"We thought you were dead." Lucius murmured, a cautious and speculative look coming into his eyes.

"I could say the same for you, father." He quipped back. "Faked your own death?"

Lucius smiled coldly. "I had to know if your mother was truly rid of me. And you as well, Draco. The Dark Lord helped me through my losses. He told me I would know if either of you ever truly cared...once you thought I was dead. And you didn't. But I was able to convince your dear mother to return to my side. Can I hope the same for you?" He questioned softly.

"He's a traitor!" Bellatrix screamed. "He defied The Dark Lord. He must be punished!"

"NO!" Narcissa cried, throwing herself in front of Draco. "You will not touch my son." She hissed, pulling her wand and facing her sister. Malfoy cleared his throat impatiently as if they were interrupting him and turned back to his father, who was smirking in approval.

"I was being held as a prisoner by Severus Snape. The both of us…we played our part until we were sure we couldn't be out done." Hermione watched as Malfoy smiled, still refusing to even look in their direction. She willed him with her eyes to meet her gaze. She wanted to give him every ounce of her hate before this was over.

"Coward!" Harry shouted, his voice raw with anger. "You are a coward, Malfoy!"

Still, he refused to acknowledge them.

"How do we know for sure….Draco," He chided softly as he circled his son. "That your intentions are true? How do we know that you aren't exactly what Mr. Potter describes you as….a coward." His whispered in his son's ear. " _Weak._ " He insisted with a smile, as he fell back into place at his wife's side.

Malfoy's attention fell to his mother. She subtly shook her head at him as she stared into his eyes.

Draco looked at his father for a few moments before turning on his heal and slowly walking over to Greyback, who was still on his knees. Ever so delicately, he placed his hands against the sides the thick man's head. Bellatrix was panting, her pupils dilated and filled with blood lust.

Hermione closed her eyes as Fenir Greyback's neck broke with a loud snap, and his body fell to the floor.

Bellatrix hopped around the room wildly, shrieking with glee as she kicked and cursed the dead bodies, making them flop around and dance like marionettes.

She stopped suddenly, turning back to face her sister with wicked triumph. "See! He has my guts, after all."

Narcissa collapsed on the floor in shock.

"Now," Bella hissed with glee, turning to look at Zabini. "You. Take the prisoner's down to the cellars….except, the mudblood. We are going to have a little chat!" She cut Hermione free from the rest of them.

Malfoy's eyes suddenly snapped to Hermione's, and she looked at him with all the betrayal in the world. She watched as he clenched his jaw and turned back to his parents.

"We cannot call The Dark Lord until we know if the sword is a fake or not." Bellatrix grabbed Hermione by the hair and dragged her to the center of the room, throwing her down on the floor. "And you, disgusting filth, are going to tell me HOW YOU GOT YOUR MUDDY HANDS ON IT!" She blasted Hermione with a spell that sent her flying backwards, crashing through an end table and smacking into the stone floor.

Harry and Ron were screaming for her, but she could barely maintain consciousness. Her head was pounding and Draco betrayed them. In this moment, she didn't care if she died, and she vaguely wondered if that made her stronger?

Their screams got softer as they were dragged underground and she lay there, awaiting her sentence. It was fitting that she would die like this, with Draco Malfoy standing over her, condemning her to a fate she should have seen coming. That day she turned down Knockturn Alley…did she regret it? Yes. And she hated him. She hated him so deeply for destroying her this way. When all she had ever wanted to do was help him. She felt herself cry out in fury. It echoed around the chamber.

"Draco, we must simply tell The Dark Lord that you were the one who found Potter. Don't you understand? Everything will then be forgiven. We can go back to our lives, as soon as Bellatrix is finished with this little interrogation." Lucius mused softly as his wife scrambled to her feet and left the room. Her hand covering her mouth as if she was going to be sick. Before exiting, she threw her son a look of sick, deep disappointment.

Lucius handed Draco a drink as he turned to watch Bellatrix drag Hermione's body back across the floor. She was towering over her, screaming in her face.

"This is quite the treat, son. Look at her…" Draco turned to see his mad Aunt flourish her wand and send a Crucio spell straight at Granger's heart. "It's intoxicating to watch someone as filthy as her be put into her place." Lucius' voice was filled with lust and the love of violence. Hermione's broken scream rent the air like a shock wave.

"Avada Kedavra." The flash was so bright it knocked Draco off his feet. Lucius Malfoy was dead before he hit the floor.

Bellatrix turned away from Hermione in shock, as Harry, Ron and Blaise came storming up the stairs, running for wands. Bellatrix whipped her arm up in furious glee, but Luna, who had been lying forgotten on the floor, disarmed her from behind. Draco was already on his feet, running for Granger, who he was sure was half dead. He lifted her up into his arms, sprinting for the door, throwing curse after curse back at Bellatrix; her fury was so great that she was beating them five against one.

"We have to get out of here!" Harry screamed, scooping up the sword and aiming for the chandelier. It burst open, thousands of diamonds exploding into ash as the heavy gold frame came crashing down, landing directly on top of Bellatrix. She was only momentarily stunned and already stirring, trying to get to her feet.

They all raced across the lawn as fast as they could, needing only to get just beyond the gates.

"Do you remember the location?" Blaise yelled, sprinting past Malfoy and trying to catch up with Luna.

Draco nodded shortly, Hermione was thrown over his shoulder and he could not feel her breathing.

"Right. I told the others. See you there." He panted, pushing himself into a full out sprint.

Draco Malfoy had never been more focused, than this moment, in his entire life. He would do anything to get Granger somewhere safe, and take care of her for the rest of his miserable life.

How he had treated her, treated all of them these past few months, was disgusting. He had felt sorry for himself and consequentially, he had lost control.

He was no longer the only one that needed attention from Granger. So he had pushed her away and let his jealously get the better of him. Because honestly, no matter what he did, he would never be Harry Potter.

So he had tried to kill every dark wizard there was. Anything he could do to make the guilt leave him. He was filled with it. Every time he thought about Ted Tonks. And countless others he had seen die, strangers who had meant nothing to him. Yet, still he was affected. His world had expanded, he was feeling empathy towards these hunted people, who were innocent. Who wanted nothing more than to be considered equal, to have the privilege to exist. Who was he to demand more? Who was he to think he was better? It killed him.

And then he had let his insecurities fester into madness, his vengeful redemption taking precedence in his life.

And he had almost gotten them all killed.

But he hadn't. In fact, he had come to the rescue…he thought that sounded ridiculous. But there was no way he could possibly leave them to die. His thoughts were affirmed, as Harry and Ron passed him, both nodding in solidarity before taking off towards the gates.

They were almost free. He would make it, if only for her.

Every one of them linked hands, as Draco was the only one who could pass them through the barrier.

Bellatrix's mad screams echoed, as light poured out of the entrance to his childhood home.

"It's too late! He's coming! He's coming!" She screamed, as lightning lit up the sky, and the rushing sound of a vast approaching storm shook them to the core.

"Let's go." Harry hissed. They stepped over the barrier and vanished into thin air.

Malfoy was the last one to leave, as he looked back at his empty throne. He would never come here again. When this was all over, he would have the Manor burnt down to the ground. Even then, he knew he would never be able to forget the sound of Hermione's screams.

Draco took a deep breath before pulling Granger into his arms and turning on the spot. He could feel Voldemort whispering through the air as their forms began to shift.

"I love you, Granger. I love you." He whispered violently.

And then they were gone.

Several moments of silence passed before Voldemort's fury exploded through the night air. Bellatrix's screams were possessed with the fire of his wrath.

Narcissa Malfoy hurried quickly through the garden, not even glancing back at her prison. She carefully fixed her hair, thrilled she had seen her son. Thrilled he had not become his father.

Oh, Andromeda would have been so proud. Narcissa felt tears come to her eyes. Lucius had found her and given her no choice but to return. What fight did she have left with her sister dead and her son missing?

But tonight her tears mingled with joy.

She was finally free.

And she simply couldn't be late to meet with Severus Snape.


	14. Chapter 13- Vlad Country

**Hey all!**

 **So glad you liked the last bit! You guys make me smile. Anyways, just a quick clarification, Albania has been changed to Romania.**

 **Cheers,**

 **M. x**

Hermione awoke with a start to the sound of heavily falling rain and momentous thunder. She was completely disorientated as she looked around in panic, trying to acclimate herself to her surroundings.

She had never been in this room before. It was massive, oak paneled, and the bed she was lying in could have easily fit six people across.

The only light in the room was coming from a massive fireplace. Hermione made a move to get out of bed and she gasped, pain shooting through her head and engulfing every inch of her body. She cried out in surprise as she fell back, closing her eyes and waiting for the agony to subside.

Then it all came rushing back to her, and she felt her sides explode with anger. Draco Malfoy had left them to die…but then why was she breathing and not locked in a cellar?

She felt her anxiety increase at the fate of her friends.

"Harry!" She yelled, trying to stay as still as possible. Her voice was a ragged whisper. It sounded as if she had been screaming for hours.

Hermione had no idea how much time had passed, or if the boys were even here. She felt tears sting her eyes.

"Harry!" She called again, desperately fighting against her pain. She heard the sound of rushing footsteps, and then the door was flung open as Harry Potter came striding in with his wand drawn, looking around in panic.

His face fell into complete distress as his eyes landed on his best friend. She looked terrified and so emotionally devastated. He moved to sit next to her on the side of the bed, looking down at her with worry.

"Hey." He murmured, pushing the hair off of her face and wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's okay, Hermione, we're safe." She reached for his hand, grasping it in her weakened grip.

"What happened? Where are we?" She rasped, trying to allow herself to relax.

But all she could think about was Malfoy leaving her for dead. She wanted to rip her own heart out and throw it into the fireplace.

Harry took a deep breath and opened his mouth to explain, but another set of footsteps joined them before stopping suddenly at the entrance to the bedroom. Hermione forced herself to shift her gaze, to who she was hoping would be Ron.

She locked eyes with Draco Malfoy from across the room, and the scream that erupted from her throat was one of excruciating fury. All rational thought fled from her mind as she remembered him tossing Luna's body to the floor and smirking in satisfaction.

"You! You bastard! You absolute scum!" She railed, ignoring her pain as she reached around, looking for her wand.

"Hermione-" He tried softly, taking a step forward.

"Stay away from me! How could you!? How _could_ you?" Her scream broke into a sob as she turned away from him. Draco felt his heart shattering into a million pieces. She looked at him as if he deserved to be dead. He probably did.

"Hermione," Harry interjected calmly. "Draco saved our lives."

She stopped her furious fight immediately. Her eyebrows drawing together in a frown. "What?"

"I killed my father, Granger." He whispered softly, and watched as her eyes once again filled with tears. But she was silent. "I had to play the part. Blaise and Luna were in on it. It was the only thing we could think of to get you out of there in one piece." He finished, taking a few more tentative steps into the room.

"Oh, now you want to be the good guy, Malfoy? After months and months of torturing me and making me sick with worry? _Now_ you want to play nice?"

"Hermione, I think you're being a little harsh." Harry mumbled, as she turned her shocked gaze to him.

"Am I?" She hissed, once again letting her attention zero in on Malfoy. He looked devastated and lost. She felt her heart ache, but she was still so furious."It's your fault we got captured in the first place! If you hadn't been such a bloody idiot, none of this would have happened."

"I know." He responded quickly. She frowned; he wasn't even going to fight her?

"You know?" She snapped, as he sighed deeply and walked closer to the bed.

"Yes. And I'm sorry. I'm so bloody sorry for all of it." He murmured, dropping down to his knees beside the bed and staring at her. She looked back at him, exhaustion and wariness blending in those Amber orbs.

"Where is everyone else? And where are we?" She demanded, looking between the two wizards.

"Everyone is fine. Ron is downstairs with Luna; she's fixing his head up. And Blaise is getting the rest of the wards into place." Harry responded, lifting himself off of the bed.

"We are in Romania. Blaise's family's abandoned castle." Draco finished. Hermione looked around in wonder.

"Romania? Since when does Blaise own a castle?" She shouted with exasperation.

"It was an inheritance from his great Uncle. He didn't want to have to come here unless we literally had no options left. It's dangerous." Hermione rolled her eyes. As if she didn't know _dangerous_.

"And how long have I been out?" She questioned.

"A few hours." Harry replied.

"And Bellatrix?" She whispered, as fear stormed back into her eyes. Draco felt his jaw clench with fury.

"She will pay with her life." He promised, as Harry nodded along in agreement.

Hermione stared at them. She couldn't believe that her near death experience had gotten them on, almost friendly, terms. She would never understand men.

"And how long are we supposed to stay in Romania for?" She snapped sarcastically.

"Until we come up with another plan." Harry insisted. "And in the meantime, you need to rest." He leaned down, kissed her forehead and then backed away towards the door, looking utterly beat and in need of a hot shower. "Coming Malfoy?"

Draco turned to look at his greatest rival.

"In a minute."

Harry nodded, and with one last glance at Hermione, he strode from the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

It was silent as Hermione stared off into the fire, brooding. Draco watched her intently; thanking the Universe over and over again that she was in one piece. He watched as her frown turned to worry, and she gasped suddenly, her eyes flinging to him once more. He caught his breath as he took in her features; she was so beautiful and strong.

"Your mother-" She began, stress evident in her face.

"She's fine." He confirmed, though his eyes hardened like chips of ice. "Blaise managed to get a message to Severus using my Dark Mark, or what's left of it." He laughed without humor, and Hermione looked down to see that his forearm was heavily bandaged; blood was just beginning to seep through the clean gauze.

She reached out and laid her fingers over his arm, touching him softly. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. "Him and my mother should be in Wales by now. One of our properties out there...it's extremely well hidden, they'll be safe."

"I thought I lost you." She whispered suddenly, lowering her eyes and trying to fight more tears.

"Never." He breathed back, as he lifted her chin with his fingers so he could gaze into those orbs of compassion and kindness. "I won't leave you, Hermione." He demanded with all of his heart.

He gently reached out and stroked her cheek, bringing his lips down on hers. The kiss was like nothing she had felt before. It wasn't heated and urgent, but instead slow and filled with promise, achingly beautiful sorrow.

She could feel him pouring himself into her, trying desperately to communicate what she meant to him. Hermione allowed herself to get swept away in the feeling of his lips melded against hers.

She sighed into his mouth, giving him the rest of her strength and will power. The kiss went on for minutes before they broke apart carefully, staring at one another with clarity.

She had saved his life, and now he had returned the favor. They were even. Equal. She felt a smile pull at her lips as he stared down at her, waiting for some reaction.

"Can you help me downstairs, please?" She asked sweetly. He looked at her with doubt.

"You need to rest."

"I'm fine." She insisted. He scoffed, getting up from his knees and looking down at her in annoyance.

"Granger, I'm going to put my foot down on this one and agree with Potter." He looked as if the very thought made him ill. "You're staying put."

She frowned at him.

"Okay…it's just…now that all the action is over, Harry and Ron are going to want some answers in regards to _us_." She lifted an eyebrow delicately as she watched his handsome face twist into a scowl. "If you think you can handle it on your own, then by all means…" She gestured to the door as if regally dismissing him. He growled with impatience.

"You are the most stubborn and devious witch I have ever met." He hissed, carefully lifting her from the bed and into his arms. She realized then, that she had been bathed and dressed in a soft, cotton, sleeping gown.

"Who-?" She began.

Draco cut her off with a smirk. "Weasley was _not_ happy about me seeing you naked, but since him and Potter were pretty bashed up, I was the one who had the delectable opportunity to undress you. Lovegood helped." He finished with a roll of his eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, leaning her head against his neck and kissing him softly as he carried her from the room.

"Behave Granger, or I'm not going to wait until you are healed to fuck your brains out-" He whispered deviantly.

"Draco!" She demanded, feeling her face blush with fury.

* * *

"Vampires! A colony of vampires. _Those_ are your next-door neighbors? You have to be fucking kidding me!" Ron's loud voice carried all the way down the stairs.

Hermione looked around in wonder at Blaise's home. It was magnificent and the most gothic thing she had ever laid eyes on. The ancient looking tapestries had her mind running with excitement. How old was this place? She sincerely hoped they had a library.

"They're quite friendly, actually." Blaise's voice echoed from down a long, stone corridor as Draco strode across a giant foyer and headed for a well-lit room in the East wing of the castle. "My family has had an agreement with them for ages. Though one of my Aunts, about a century ago, actually left her husband for their leader, Vlad."

Hermione gasped with delight as Draco pushed opened the door of the living room. All conversation stopped.

"Hermione." Ron breathed, jumping to his feet and striding towards them. "You alright?" His concern was evident and it made Hermione's heart warm.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, Ron." She smiled at him as Draco placed her carefully on one of the couches, tossing a thick fur blanket over her.

They were all gathered around a roaring fire, several bottles of wine and gauze sat on a table between them. Everyone looked beat up.

Draco moved to stand with his back to the fireplace, as if watching over them as Harry Potter came striding into the room, looking slightly refreshed.

"You're supposed to be resting!" He hollered, glaring at Malfoy.

"She would have gotten up herself and broken her legs coming down here. So I did you the favor of avoiding that mess." He snapped, looking at Hermione with disapproval. She beamed back at him.

"As I was saying," Blaise went on, throwing Hermione a wink, before lifting his glass to his lips. "The Nosferatu are a very curious sort. I allow them use of my land and in return, they watch out for the family. So you see, we are protected by the undead. Sometimes they even come to our parties."

"I wonder if they're related to those poor Vampires stuck behind the Potion's lab at Headquarters?" Luna wondered out loud. She was pressed up against Blaise and he was idly twirling a lock of her hair around his finger.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco and he smirked back. Apparently that was all it took to get Ron Weasley started.

"So." He huffed, his gaze narrowing at Malfoy. "You two."

Hermione looked up quickly, her eyes falling on Harry, who stared back stonily. Had they already forgotten she nearly died a few hours ago? Apparently yes.

"It's complicated." Hermione replied shakily. "I was going to tell you."

"Were you?" Harry asked harshly.

"Yes." She insisted. "But then-"

"I acted like a total prick. And so she had no reason to." Malfoy cut in, bringing the attention back to himself. They were not going to upset Granger while he was here.

"And how long has this been going on?" Ron growled, feeling his fists clench, as he pictured Malfoy and Hermione together.

Hermione lowered her gaze. "Since sixth year."

"What?" Bellowed Ron, turning suddenly to face her with a furious look.

Harry closed his eyes and turned away, muttering to himself. Draco was shocked at her words. She had cared about him for that long? He felt himself force the smile wishing to explode, off of his face.

"I'm sorry-" She shot back, tears filling her eyes.

"Hermione! How could you?" Weasley railed. "How could you lie to us this entire time?!"

"It wasn't like you and that brainless slag, Lavender. We didn't just fall into some ridiculous relationship filled with insipid lies and fake promises. Granger means, sixth year was when we first got thrown together. We hated each other, but-" He knew he was going to pay for this, but he couldn't stop the words from leaving his lips "I couldn't stay away from her." He finished, meeting Weasley's death-like glare.

"Well you should have!" Ron spat. "You _know_ you're not good enough for her!"

"Ron!" Hermione yelled, feeling her temper spike. "I don't think you're the one to make that call."

"You're absolutely right, Weasley. I don't deserve her. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to push her away any longer, just to appease you."

"Hermione." It was Harry who spoke. He looked lost and extremely concerned. "What Ron means to say is, is that we just want you to be happy. And since Malfoy came into our lives, I have seen the complete opposite. I'm not saying you haven't changed Malfoy, and I'm indebted to you for saving our lives…but that doesn't mean I'm even a little okay with you getting involved with my best friend."

"We are already involved." He reminded Potter, his eyes narrowing. He knew it would come to this. And he was ready to fight for her.

"That's not a fair statement." Blaise piped up, and Luna nodded along with him.

"You weren't at Headquarters. You didn't see them the way we did." She answered dreamily. "They were in love even then."

"Luna, please." Hermione tried weakly.

"Yes," Blaise concluded. "They were both…almost tolerable. Can you imagine such a thing?"

"Things only went to shit once you needed _rescuing_ , Weasley. We were perfectly fine before you got back in the picture." Draco snapped, feeling his rage begin to stir. But Potter's words were the ones that drove him to insanity. Granger would automatically default to The Chosen One's opinion, he was sure. How could he compete with that?

"So that's it then, Hermione? You're going to chose him over us?" Ron ground out, unable to keep his emotions in check.

"Why do I have to chose anyone at all? Is there not enough of me to go around? Am I so one dimensional that you all find me incapable of maintaining more than one relationship at a time? Some of us don't have the emotional range of a teaspoon." She hissed, glaring at Ron.

"Hermione, we just want you to think about what you're doing." Harry tried, taking a step forward. Draco instinctually growled at him.

"Yes," Ron snapped. "Because _we_ think you have lost your bloody mind!"

"Thank you, Ronald. I appreciate your honesty." She snarled back, before turning to Harry. "I understand your concern Harry, but frankly, it's none of your business who I decide to spend my time with."

"It's my concern if I see that it makes you unhappy." He returned vehemently.

"What is it with you, Potter? Do you think everyone needs fucking saving? She wants to be with me, get over it."

Harry's eyes were filled with intensity, but he remained outwardly calm.

"Just think about it, Hermione. That's all I'm asking." He whispered, before squeezing her hand and exiting the room quietly. Ron punched the wall as hard as he could, before grabbing his drink and stalking after Harry. The door slammed shut with a resounding thud. Hermione closed her eyes.

"Well that went better than how I saw it going in my mind." Blaise commented drily. "Look Granger, we could always feed Weasley to my neighbors if you want him banished for good."

Hermione felt herself smile, regardless of her extremely sour mood.

"Thanks Blaise, I'll keep that in mind." She whispered softly, her eyes falling to Draco. He was looking back at her, insecurity swimming in his eyes.

"Let's go to bed." She murmured, reaching up for him. She saw the relief at once; he hid it with an arrogant smirk as he lifted her back into his arms.

"Your command is my pleasure, Hermione Granger." He purred seductively, as she pressed herself into his arms. It might be tragic and somewhat unhealthy…the boys might also be completely right in the end. But that didn't matter, because Draco Malfoy made her feel as though no one had before. And a part of her knew he felt the same. And that was enough happiness for her.

* * *

The weeks moved quickly as they became accustomed to their new home. The castle was so big that it was extremely rare to run into anyone unless it was on purpose, which meant sleeping arrangements were infinitely less awkward.

Draco had summoned Kreacher to come and cook for them; they had all forgotten what it was like to once again have a proper meal. It vastly improved their moods.

Hermione and Draco spent every night in each other's arms, but they hadn't made love since before they left headquarters.

Hermione was now completely healed and more than willing, but it was Malfoy who seemed to be holding off. She knew he wanted her, that much was evident.

Yet, every time she tried to get him to undress her, he would pull away muttering "approval" and "not yet."

She had no idea what had come over him, but he seemed intent on trying to play the perfect gentleman.

Hermione was wary, then shocked at how his behavior changed. But Harry and Ron still didn't make it easy for him. But Malfoy kept his cool.

She wasn't sure where all this focus and calm energy was coming from, but she suspected it had a lot to do with his father's death. It was like now that Lucius was dead, Draco was somehow free. His mood swings were less frequent and he had lost a certain viciousness to him, that she was glad to see go.

Given, he was still completely arrogant and cold when he wanted to be, and definitely jealous. But he had changed for the better.

* * *

Blaise had decided to introduced them to Vlad's clan, and invited them up to the castle for some wine and conversation.

Hermione almost had an orgasm at the prospect of meeting the most feared and renowned literary Vampire of all time, Dracula.

Draco had not been impressed with the man. However, Hermione couldn't help but blush and stammer through the conversation as Vlad had been relentless in his seductive pursuits. Malfoy had finally dragged her from the room, looking horrendously impatient and furious.

"What the fuck was that, Granger? You were throwing yourself at that blood-sucker like a sodding fool!" He hissed, pulling her up the stairs.

"It must be his mind powers." She whispered excitedly. "He's got all sorts of tricks-"

"What I want to know, is why are you so fascinated with him? He's a murderer! A wicked, powerful creature that will steal your soul…plus, his complexion is dreadful...white like a bloody ghost." He spat with immense annoyance.

"Sounds sort of like my current situation." She smirked thoughtfully.

"Hilarious, Granger."

"Look, I don't expect you to understand, but in the Muggle world, he is famous!"

"So what? I'm famous in the Wizarding World." He scoffed, crossing his arms and looking down at her with a frown.

"Yes, but-" She trailed off, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. "He's my favorite Gothic novel _ever_."

"Enough." He snapped, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her down the upstairs hallway.

"Where are we going?" She laughed, as his grip tightened on her.

"I'm going to make you forget all about that leech." He hissed, as Hermione smiled to herself.

He kicked open the door of their room, before throwing her down on the bed and pinning her by the wrists.

"He has more money than me." Draco hissed, as he leaned down and began to place open mouth kisses against her neck.

"Dobby has more money than you right now, Malfoy."

"And he's older, much more experienced." His hands were running down her flesh, caressing her with urgency.

"A little too old, I think." She panted, reaching for his shirt.

"He can give you immortality, you know?" He promised, as his hands slid underneath her sexy black dress and she tore his shirt in half.

"No thanks, I'll take my one lifetime." She insisted, wrapping her arms around his naked, tense shoulders.

"With me." He whispered.

Hermione felt shock grip her. She was unable to speak, completely thrown by his statement. It certainly didn't seem to be a question. And apparently he didn't require answer, because he was already tearing her dress off her body and diving into her flesh.

He touched her with such need and abandon. He lost himself in her and she returned the favor. They couldn't get enough, as they stripped away the layers of insecurity and doubt. Their passions ignited one another and pushed them into a realm of pure bliss. Their sweaty bodies moved as one in the candlelight. Draco held her down by the hips, slowly thrusting into her over and over again with steady rhythm. He was biting his lip, trying to hold back his need to come undone inside of her. She moaned and whimpered as he consumed her flesh, her nails raking down his chest and abs, as he whispered her name over and over again.

Hot, white lights burst from beneath their eyelids simultaneously. Both of them cried out, finding their release at the exact same moment. It was the most beautiful thing Hermione had ever felt. Draco's brain had gone numb, every inch of his body filled with her love and salvation.

He collapsed on top of her, and they stayed like that for several minutes, entwined and listening to one another's hearts race.

Finally, he rolled off of her with a groan, grabbing her about the waist and pressing her naked flesh against his.

"Granger." He breathed softly.

"Mmm?" She murmured, her eyes closed, a wide smile on her face.

"That was incredible."

"Yes, I have no idea why you wanted to wait so long."

He was silent for several moments. Hermione opened her eyes to see that he was lost in deep thought. She nudged him gently with her body. His eyes snapped back to her's.

"I…needed to make sure you still wanted this. I…know I fucked up and I just didn't want you to feel like sex was what it was all about. I just-" She pressed her lips against his, cutting off his next words. Draco growled, tightening his arms around her and deepening the kiss.

"Don't leave me, Granger." He whispered harshly, pulling back from her lips to stare deeply into her eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" She insisted with a slight smirk.

How the hell had he gotten so lucky? Draco Malfoy drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Just one floor down, Harry was trying to focus on his conversation with the Vampire, but his mind was cloudy, distracted. He kept glancing to the stairs, wondering where Malfoy and Hermione had slunk off to. His glare darkened as he assessed the possibilities. To be honest, Malfoy had done a complete 180, and Harry was fine with that, he was. But this relationship, it was nuts. Hermione didn't belong with someone like him, someone so cynical and damaged.

She was a heroine…and she needed a hero.

Vlad pulled him back into conversation.

"Mr. Zabini here informs me you are looking for parts of a certain soul." Harry's face blanked as he threw a look at Blaise. "No worries, my friend, I do not wish to interfere. I just hear strange rumors…the woods surrounding this place are filled with dark secrets. I would be more than happy to accompany you on your journey to find what is lost."

"And what exactly do you think I am looking for?" Harry asked with suspicion.

"Much like your delicious little friend, Ms. Granger, I can also see what is in _your_ mind. It was only eighteen years ago that a dark spirit arrived in our woods. One, even us of the undead, fear. It is said that this spirit, or at least part of it, still dwells in the darkest and most dangerous parts of the forest. As I said, I would be happy to show you the way."

Harry glanced at Blaise. This was the second possible plan Zabini had come up with in two weeks.

The first was regarding their break in into Gringotts, where Harry was sure another Horcrux was being held. Especially after Bellatrix's obvious panic back at the Manor.

Blaise had assured him that his family's vault was right next to the Lestrange's, and they would not have a problem breaking in. Luna apparently had a favor to cash in with a goblin. She had saved his child from being mauled by a Hippogriff.

And now this, a possible piece of Voldemort's soul? Harry remembered Dumbledore telling him about a forest in Romania where Voldemort had gone to die after the curse rebounded. Could it be? Was it possible that the next piece was here? It was a chance Harry was willing to take.

"Excellent." Vlad grinned, showing off his mind reading skills and a set of wickedly sharp teeth. "We leave at dusk tomorrow. I do hope Ms. Granger will come along. She is the most charming company we have had in over...500 years, at least."


End file.
